Brussel Sprouts with Chickpeas

Brussel sprouts are something I never ate as a kid.  I don't know if my mom didn't like them (which was the case with asparagus) or if they were not as widely available as they are now.  I remember eating them once when I lived in New Zealand, but I don't remember anything remarkable about them.  I don't remember hating them, now liking them.  But since I discovered how much I like them roasted, any other form of cooking them doesn't quite live up to the test.  I have had a different experience with chickpeas.  I like them in the form of hummus, but haven't found too many more ways that I really like them.  I did roast them once and I really liked the texture of how they turned out.  That being said, the method to cook these together was on the stove top, but I think both the brussel sprouts and the chickpeas would be better in the oven....next time I will have to do that instead.  (This recipe is adapted from Bitter by Jennifer McLagan.)

Brussel Sprouts and Chickpeas
1 can no salt added chickpeas (drained, thoroughly rinsed, and dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely diced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1.25 pounds brussel sprouts, outer leaves removed and cut in half
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle chickpeas with salt.  Set aside.  Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan with a lid and place over medium heat.  When hot, add the shallot and cook until lightly browned.  Add the chickpeas, season with salt and pepper, and cook until lightly browned.  Add about 1/4 cup of the chicken stock.  Deglaze the pan by bringing to a boil and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Remove from heat and put into a bowl.

Return the pan to the heat and add an additional 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Put over high heat.  When the oil is hot add the brussel spouts.  Cook until dark, but not black.  Add the rest of the chicken stock, then season with salt and pepper.  Lower the heat and cover until the sprouts are tender, but still crisp.   Return the chickpea mixture to the pan.  Check the seasoning and add the balsamic vinegar.  Cooked until warmed throughout.  Remove from heat and serve.

Venison Medallions with Cream Sauce

Venison Medallions with Cream Sauce

We have a couple of friends who are big hunters, which means every now and again we are the recipients of venison.  I have not cooked venison in a really long time, so I searched my extensive recipe collection for something that sounded good which would not result in a too gamey flavor in the venison.  These medallions turned out great and the idea was based off a recipe in Black Forest Cuisine by Walter Staib.  Ironically, this cookbook came from a used bookstore.  Ironic because I have German cookbooks in German from when I lived there, but I was excited about this cookbook because it brought me some new recipes but others that just reminded me of my time in Germany.

These medallions are served over garlic mashed potatoes.  My husband is the mashed potato maker in our family.  He tried his hand at it a number of years ago and had success which led to the lead mashed potato maker.  Between the venison medallions and mashed potatoes this is definitely a heavier meal, which I offset with my roasted brussel spouts.

Venison Medallions in Cream Sauce

1 pound venison medallions of even thickness

1 1/2 cups burgundy wine

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1/8 teaspoon dried sage 

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1 leek, trimmed and sliced into strips (1.5 inched by 1/4 inch wide)

1 cup sliced mushrooms (about 5-6 mushrooms depending on size)

2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Marinate venison in burgundy, rosemary, sage, garlic and 1 chopped shallot.  Turn throughout the day to ensure all has been marinated.

When you are ready to cook, discard the marinade.  Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat.  Cook the venison medallions until browned, about 3 minutes per side.  Remove the venison and cover while continuing to cook.  Turn heat to medium and add the other shallot and saute for about a minute until softened.  Stir in the leeks and mushrooms and saute for 2-3 more minutes.  Add a little of the beef stock to work up the bits of browned pieces.  Turn to medium low and add the rest of the beef stock.  Simmer for about 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool just a bit.  Add in the sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over mashed potatoes.  Places the medallions on the mashed potatoes and pour the cream sauce over the top.

Roasted Vegetable Orzo

When you have a lot of vegetables and are not sure what to do with them, try this recipe.  The orzo reminds me of a rice based dish, but in reality it is more like a pasta salad.  You can mix up any kinds of vegetables to get a different taste or feel.  I meant to put kale into this salad, but once the roasted leaves came out of my oven, I devoured them.  If you can resist try them in this salad.  Roasting the vegetables sweetens the vegetables which makes this salad.  If you haven't cooked with orzo before, you should try it.  It cooks up easily and mixes well with any variety of vegetables and dressings.  The inspiration for this salad came from 101 cookbooks author Heidi Swanson.  If you haven't checked out her blog you should.

Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad
Roasted vegetables (I used brussel sprouts, broccoli, leeks, garlic and onions)
olive oil
salt
1 1/4 cups orzo (uncooked)
plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line  1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper (depends on how many vegetables you are roasting).  Cut all the vegetables (about 5-6 cloves of garlic) into similar sized pieces so they will all roast at the same rate.  Toss all the vegetables with olive oil and salt.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Toss once or twice to make sure everything is roasted evenly.

Put water on to boil to cook the orzo.  Add salt.  When boiling add the orzo and cook according to package instructions.  Remove and run under cool water.  Toss with a little olive oil.  For dressing, remove the shell from the roasted garlic and mash it with a little salt and yogurt.  Add more yogurt (about a half cup in total) and add more garlic to taste.

When ready to serve, toss the orzo, roasted vegetables and yogurt (start with half and adjust for taste).  For topping you can use toasted sesame or pumpkin seeds, and/or scallions.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My family never made brussel spouts growing up, so I never knew what I was missing.  Well, I did have them eventually when I was in New Zealand, but they were not something that tasted good, nor was it something that I would ever have thought to make, eat and enjoy.  Fast forward many years later.  I was living in Munich and was invited to a Thanksgiving dinner made by a New Zealander.  No, New Zealand does not celebrate Thanksgiving, but this was an expat whom had lived abroad with Americans and found that he loved Thanksgiving and every year since then had continued to celebrate it.  I was the token American invited to this Thanksgiving dinner.  As you can image, I met another very different brussel sprout at this dinner that remained intact in my memory so that again years later, I would see these wonderful things at a grocery story and decide that finally it was time to tackle the brussel sprout.

The way that amazing brussel sprout was prepared was ever so simple...roast them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  This simple method creates a lovely sweet brussel sprout.  I recently made them for a friend of mine at a dinner party.  She, and everyone who was present, thought I was crazy to make something that few people like.  Well as it turns out everyone who tried them also thought they were wonderful.  How can you turn up your nose to olive oil and balsamic vinegar roasted goodness?  I encourage lovers and haters of brussel sprouts to try these.  Not only are they lovely to eat, they are also curious when you buy them in a complete stalk.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Decide on a quantity of brussel sprouts
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper


Clean the brussel sprouts, remove any outer leaves which look damaged, then cut them in half. Drizzle with olive oil (just enough to lightly coat each sprout...depending on the quantity about 2-3 tablespoons).  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (less so you have about a 2 to 1 ratio of olive oil to vinegar).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes at about 375F or until the brussel sprouts have absorbed the balsamic vinegar and are slightly shriveled.