Trading Pastries for Produce

Pardon my pregnant pause but I have a good excuse...I was in Paris, land of buttery pastry, fluorescent macaroons and dozens upon dozens of those little raisin-studded artisan rolls that had me tramping about the city in search of the best one.

As you might guess, after eating all that and more chouquettes than I care to count (a rough estimate halfway through the trip suggested we were approaching triple digits), I entered my kitchen ready and willing to trade the pastries for produce, the cream for cabbage - literally. I was ready for Brussels sprouts.

For the sake of honesty, I have to admit that I haven't made these post-trip, yet. But I did make this dish multiple times before we departed and the memory of the dish is informing the way I'm cooking these days. It's January, after all, time for those New Year's resolutions to start eating well again. Part of that, for me, is embracing the much-maligned sprout. 

Before you start your diatribe against Brussels sprouts, let me say this: I know they are stinky and sulfurous. They are the red-headed step child of the produce aisle, an ingredient shrouded in many decade's worth of bad memories and misinformed opinions. I wasn't subjected to them as a child but I know they are the terror of the table for many of you.

But when you cook Brussels sprouts properly and pair them with equally bracing ingredients - say a biting coarse ground mustard - they shine. You'll forget the mushy sprouts of your past, those charred, overcooked little nobs that your relatives tried to pass off as food at Thanksgiving when you were ten, and find yourself craving the things.

Proper cooking, in my opinion, starts with proper prepping, so we're going to start this recipe off by hashing those little green spheres. Throw the strips in a smoking hot pan with a bit of white wine, olive oil and butter and they'll turn silky without loosing their delicate crunch. Then dress them with a bit of that aforementioned mustard and you'll develop a soft spot for sprouts. You might even find yourself trading them for pastry.  

Hashed Brussels Sprouts
You can, as my friend Amber did, eat these sprouts plain for dinner. But you could also toss in pine nuts or bacon to add some texture to the dish, serve it atop creamy polenta or try it for breakfast with corned beef hash. One thing to note: the hashing of these sprouts takes time. Your best bet is a mandoline slicer, food processor fitted with a slicing disk or, failing that, the help of a good, sprout-loving friend.  

4 Servings

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 cup dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc
1 tablespoon coarse ground Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the Brussels sprouts and slice off the stem at the end of the sprout. Remove any blemished leaves and, using a sharp knife, half the sprouts. Slice each of the wedges into 1/8-inch strips. Alternatively, use a food processor fitted with the slicing disk attachment or a mandoline blade to hash the sprouts. Place the pieces in a large bowl and dress them with the apple cider vinegar.

Heat the butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. When the skillet is very hot and the butter melted, but not browned, add the sprouts. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the sprouts, stirring occasionally, until they have wilted slightly but are still bright green and slightly crisp, or about 4 minutes.

Add the wine, and cook the sprouts for a minute longer, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Dijon mustard until well mixed. Serve immediately.