Sprouting Wings

With Thanksgiving knocking on the door the other night, I began thinking of ideas for hors dourve experiments that will compliment the season and add some zing to the usual. I wanted an addition to the Floridian delights of yesteryear and homely comfort food of Ohio. We ran the gamut of casseroles growing up from veg-all, sweet potato, green bean, asparagus, and the more traditional southern thanksgiving side variants like mustard & collard greens, turnips, and maybe even rutabagas even once or twice. One aspect that stuck out in my mind was the fact that we always shunned Brussels sprouts.

A vegetable at the height of harvest in the fall, it seems strange that we avoided it like the plague. Dawn and I are becoming more friendly and acquainted with the little guys since she made her fall pizza with them. It seems like a first time at the pool experience- dipping your toes in and deciding when to accept the otherwordliness of water surrounding you. The learning process has proven an aid to push us outside our holiday comfort zone and give us a new appreciation for the neglected orbs.

Avoiding the displeasing mushy texture was high on my agenda second to complementing the earthy bitterness of the sprouts themselves. First and foremost they had to be the star of the show not the complement. To up the ante I used some meaty portobellos and  thick-cut pepper bacon for the umami kicker. The result turned out beyond Dawn and my expectations leaving us believers and hopefully you too as this hor dourve will spruce up your holiday get together like no other sprout will.

Brussels Menagerie

1 # Brussels sprouts (if frozen, thawed)

4 or 5 pieces peppered bacon roughly chopped

1/3 C all purpose flour for dredging

1 T bacon grease (optional)

1 C thick slicked portobello mushroom

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp soy sauce

Dredge sprouts lightly in flour. Place bacon grease in skillet, if using, and cook bacon until crisp then remove from skillet. Make sure skillet is smoking hot, then add sprouts, and bacon. Shake skillet often to keep sprouts from sticking and to assure a crisp crust on all sides of sprouts and bacon. After sprouts and bacon are crisp, add lemon juice, soy sauce, and salt and pepper shaking to coat.

If using dish for hor dourves, follow directions the same except:

a. cut mushrooms pieces in squares approximately the diameter of your sprouts

b. carefully third sprouts before dredging in flour.

This will allow you thread a slice of sprout, bacon, and mushroom on a skewer to serve at parties or any other occasion when the idea strikes your fancy. Enjoy.

A Holiday Pizza; AKA Early Ideas for Leftovers

I'll admit, I'm one of those stubborn people who complain about Christmas items showing up in the store before Halloween is over. And rightly so, in my opinion. I love Christmas. I'll never forget how shocked Daniel was to experience just how much my Mom, Sister, and I love Christmas.  And, now that Halloween is over, I'm ready to be in the Holiday mood. I wont start playing my Christmas movie marathons until it gets a little closer, but I'm already looking forward to an evening with Jimmy Stewart and claymationed Rudolph, not to mention the baking and candy-making marathons.

Anyways, on to the recipe before I get too excited. With the holidays on my mind, I reflected that it seems as if its been a little while since we blogged about a unique pizza creation. So, while I should have been thinking about school and reading, I decided to try a new 'Thanksgiving-esque' Pizza. Naturally, I decide this under our new 'eat from the pantry' policy, which I more or less failed at. Already. One week in. Oh well.

Originally I wanted to do something that included turkey, cranberries, kale and pumpkin. While at the store, I forgot about the turkey, could only find dried cranberries, and the decided to allocate the kale for another meal. I did however find some tasty Brussels sprouts and portobello mushrooms to make up for the green and 'meaty' portions of the pizza. Ideally, I think it would be fun to try and make it again with some Thanksgiving leftovers, maybe making a tart with a stuffing crust instead, but for a weeknight 'fun' meal, this worked pretty well.

Coming home, and still not working on school, I set to roasting the Brussels sprouts, soaking the cranberries in hot water, sauteing the mushrooms with some butter and sage, and making a savory pumpkin sauce with onions, sage, and garlic. Combined, the steps did eat up some time, but I could have easily done most of them in advance before heating up the pizza stone and putting the pizza together. Although Daniel came home and looked at it somewhat hesitantly, overall it turned out well. I look forward to trying it again and hope it may serve as some inspiration for you to use your Thanksgiving leftovers!

Dawn's Thanksgiving-esque Pizza

Prepared pizza dough; recipe available here.

Toppings:

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Warm Water

2 Handfuls Brussels Sprouts (8-10)Rinsed

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1/2 Portobello mush room cap; chopped

1/2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tsp Dried Sage

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Sauce:

1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 Small Onion

3 Cloves Garlic

1 Handful Fresh Sage, sliced thinly or 2 tbsp dried

1 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Dried Thyme

1/4 Tsp Smoked Paprika (Optional)

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 400. If doing in one cooking session, place pizza stone in as well to preheat. If using dried cranberries, place cranberries in small bowl with hot water. Let stand until ready to top pizza.

2. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and season with salt and paper. Place on roasting sheet. Roast for approx 30 minutes, carefully stirring every 5-8 minutes. Sprouts should be brown on the outside with a few crisp black spots.

3. Meanwhile, in small saute pan, melt butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms 5-7 minutes, adding sage midway. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

4. In medium saucepan, add remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil and pan are warm enough, place diced onions and minced garlic in and saute until onions are transparent and garlic begins to brown. Deglaze pan with white wine, stirring constantly. Add pumpkin, stock, and spices. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until you achieve an appropriate consistency.

5. Once brussels sprouts are done, set aside until cool enough to handle. Increase heat to 475. Once cool enough to handle, cut brussels sprouts in half.

6. Once oven is heated, place cornmeal on pizza peel. Toss pizza dough to desired thickness and shape. Add pumpkin sauce and arrange toppings. Top with shredded cheese if desired (Parmesan & Fontina Cheese recommended).

7. Place cornmeal on pizza stone. Carefully slide pizza onto stone and cook 8-10 minutes until crust is golden brown in color.

8. Carefully slide pizza onto peel and remove from oven. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!