Savory Brussel Sprouts inspired by Osteria Mozza

It has just occurred to me.  Why is brussel sprouts called sprouts?  It certainly doesn’t taste sprouty.  Perhaps it’s because it’s like baby cabbages, sprouty cabbages?  Whatever the reason, brussel sprouts has become one of my favorite vegetables of all times.  Very cool-looking on the stalks that it grows in; it’s like mini baby rose cabbages but so much better.  They often get a bad rep, I think – because 80-85% of fresh brussel sprouts are sent to the market FROZEN and many people overcook them which results in a foul-sulfur smell and not-so-tasty dishes but let me try to convince you that they’re pretty awesome and you should try it again.

With natural affinity with bacon and vinegar among others, it’s a perfect balance of savory meets hardy vegetable side dish with delicate, smoky flavor not to mention a great texture you get biting into the layers of the “rose” cabbage as some Germans call them.

I’ll share below a recipe inspired by the awesome brussel sprouts served at Osteria Mozza.  Enjoy!

STEP 1: Prep brussel sprouts

1 pound brussel sprouts (cut part of the stem, and sliced 1/2 vertically through the stem and rid of blemished leaves.  Pick small ones if you can – it’s more tender and has better flavor, I think)

1/2 cup peeled and halved small pearl onions

1/3-1/2 cup olive oil (drizzled to cover)

1 tsp sel gris (or other salt you may have around.  Mark Bitterman’s new book, Salted, has totally gotten me on the salt discovery/awakening thing…read his book-fascinating albeit bit textbook-like but beautiful book.  I heard him being interviewed on Evan Kleinman’s Good Food the other day and listening to him made me feel kinda bad about using kosher salt – as I too can see how it can seem “soul-less” – would love to talk salt with him:))

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1) Place the cut brussel sprouts & onion in a bowl, drizzling olive oil, sprinkling salt and black pepper.  Toss and set aside.

STEP 2: Prep sherry vinaigrette

You want the vinaigrette to be more tangy than usual so I recommend having it be more of a 2:1 ratio of vinegar to olive oil, if not more, to your taste.

3 tbsp finely minced fresh shallots (about one small shallot)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup (or 2 tbsp) sherry vinegar

Sprinkle of salt and fresh pepper (s/p)

Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon (and some zest if you’d like)

In a small bowl, pour sherry vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, s/p.  Stirring with a whisk, pour olive oil slowly into the bowl until looks creamy (~30 sec).  TASTE and see if you think it needs more acid (eg., sherry vinegar/lemon juice).  Everyone has different taste buds and what may be tangy enough isn’t enough for someone else.

STEP 3: Make brussel sprouts

The key trick taught by the chefs (Nancy Silverton & Matt Molina at Osteria) is that each 1/2 of brussel sprouts need to be browned and not crowded in a pan.  I call it – FULL face time between each 1/2 of a brussel sprout and the pan.  With full face-to-face with the pan, you get nice brown grill marks and even cooking.

1) Using a cold pan, turn heat to medium/medium high, drizzle olive oil to cover pan and heat for ~2 min.

2) Pour brussel sprouts (which has been marinating nicely in the s/p & olive oil) into the pan (you may need to brown them in batches depending on your pan size, I used my built-in griddle which is awesome for a big job like this)  and using tongs, carefully arrange each brussel sprout, flat side down ensuring that each one has enough olive oil (but not too much or it’ll “fry”) to brown (about 2 min).  Start checking and flip them over to brown them on the round side (another 1 1/2 min).  You start to notice that the leaves become more translucent and more vibrant green and don’t want to overcook as it’ll cook some more as it’s taken off the cooktop.

3) When browned on both sides, take the brussel sprouts off heat and pour back into the bowl you prepped them in.  Pour vinaigrette over the vegetable, toss and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

4) If you want to make it extra-special, you can also make a proscuitto breadcrumbs which you can sprinkle on top ( I happen to have some in my fridge).  Little more effort but worth it as any leftovers last in the fridge for at least a month – you can go sprinkle crazy on all dishes from sauteed vegetables to lasagna:)  Here’s a brief recipe if you’re interested in making – but definitely not a must.

a) Sautee 1/4 lb proscuitto (chopped) with some olive oil and when it gets brown/crispy, take it out and reserve the oil.

b) Breadcrumbs – 1 cup of breadcrumbs – lightly toasted in oven at 350 degrees with the reserved proscuitto/olive oil (about 6-8min) stirring it once in between to ensure all of the breadcrumbs are getting enough face time w/ the oven.

c) Finely mince parsley, tarragon and chives (equal parts and about 2 cups in total).  In a bowl, combine proscuitto, breadcrumbs and herbs and toss.  Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Enjoy~!  (You see the salt block heating in the background?  It was fish nite at our house and I grilled some John Dory on the Himalayan salt block.  With some jasmine rice, grilled fish and brussel sprouts – it was a great meal…)

-ck with 2 tbsp of love