Brussels Sprouts with Caraway Seeds

Ohh, brussels sprouts. The unsung hero of the Thanksgiving table. Have your turkey, eat as many sweet potatoes as you'd like; when the maple syrup is dripping down your chin, the marshmallows bursting from your jowls, and the cranberry sauce shmeared bright red across your plate, you will have a moment - everyone has a moment - when the sweetness of it all, the sheer quantity of sugar, exhausts you. At that moment, you'll reach for the bowl of brussels sprouts, grateful that something on the table that's purely savory. Thank goodness for brussels sprouts.

here's the thing about sprouts recipes, though. Lots involve that very maple syrup that coats your yams. Or apples. Or pears (guilty as charged). Those are delicious - I'm not criticizing! - but if you take your turkey in a sweet direction (here's one recipe I'm particularly excited about that looks pretty sweet), you'll want a foil for all that sugar. So if I were making Tday dinner this year, I'd go as simple as it gets. Just some olive oil, salt and pepper - and the secret star ingredient: caraway seeds.

Let's talk caraway for a moment. It's deeply savory, and a welcome break from the sweet stuff. It's distinctive on its own: when paired with caraway, brussels sprouts need little embellishment (let's face it: you're saving your juice for the perfect turkey and a slew of pies). And they provide a little crunch to those sprouts, always welcome on a day when mashed potatoes and candied yams reign.

Also - and the importance of the following is not to be underestimated - they're easy to make. Let's be honest: brussles sprounts are the fifth child of turkey day dinner. Toss 'em in the oven. Forget about 'em. If it's a good recipe, the sprouts will turn out just fine on their own, while you're fussing over your pie and basting that bird. And by the way? Cook's secret: these sprouts are shockingly delicious right out of the fridge the morning after the big day. The caraway will have permeated the vegetable completely; sneaky leftover nibblers, I aim to please you.

brussels sprouts caraway 2

Also, incidentally: these sprouts are good all year, not just on Tday. If you're making a smaller batch, you might try making them on the stove top, as I did the second time I made them. They certainly get more blistered and brown over in a hot pan, and while they cook a bit less evenly, I found it quite exciting to watch those caraway seeds crackle and pop over the flames, crazy chick that I am.

Brussels Sprouts with Caraway Seedsadapted from a recipe in Gourmet

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caraway Seeds 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon caraway seeds salt and pepper freshly ground nutmeg (optional - if you only have the pre-grated stuff, skip it)

Preheat oven to 450°F and place a rack in middle of the oven.

Toss Brussels sprouts with oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and a very light dusting of nutmeg (if using) in a bowl until well coated. Transfer to a large 4-sided sheet pan in 1 layer and roast 10 minutes. Sprinkle caraway seeds over Brussels sprouts and toss, then spread out in 1 layer and roast until Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and well browned in spots, about 10 minutes more.

Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Salad

You might -- as I did -- assume that any recipe written by the likes of Thomas Keller is completely out of reach for us mere mortals. Yes, he of the Best Restaurant in New York publishes books, with recipes in them. I have one of these books, and it isn't even the crazy-complicated one. It's Ad Hoc, the most approachable of his books, which documents the food from his family-style restaurant in Yountville. I've read it through several times; it's a beautiful volume. It's found a permanent home on our coffee table. Unfortunately, I've been too flat-out intimidated to actually make his food. The recipes look simple enough - farro with butternut squash, summer vegetable gratin, etc - but when you dig deeper, every recipe subtly calls for like eight other recipes. I was a bit put off.

You probably think I'm being lazy, or weak, or something. After all, better women have cooked every recipe from his high-end cookbook without breaking a sweat. (Okay, maybe a little sweat.) But I am not so bold. I confess, I tire at the site of long, involved recipes, especially when they're ultimately meant to be eaten as a weeknight dinner. I believe there's plenty of time to cook good food at home, even on weeknights, but multi-step recipes require either lots of time, or lots of foresight. These days, I have neither. But after this weekend, I do have a newfound enthusiasm and can-do spirit: I'm cooking (slightly adapted) Keller, and you can too.

I've been eyeing this salad of chickpeas and curried cauliflower for as long as I've had Ad Hoc at Home on my coffee table. The picture in the book is gorgeous: it features both dried and fresh chickpeas, sliced green and red endive, little coin-sized cauliflower florets, pretty pickled onions, the works. It looks so fresh and colorful, like something I would totally make.

curried chickpea cauliflower salad

In reading the recipe, I thought the flavors in the dish seemed really well-balanced, so I hesitated to make any changes. But then I realized that I wanted to actually bite the bullet and make this recipe, so I forged ahead. No fresh chickpeas at the markets these days, and canned chickpeas are really fine: one step eliminated. I happened to have some pickled onions left over from another recipe, so I used those. If I hadn't had them, that step is actually quite easy. As for the wine-soaked raisins, I had only currants and red wine, instead of the white wine and golden raisins called for. Still, the end result was quite delicious. I even added dill, because I didn't have any parsley leaves (nor the time to fry them), and I think the salad benefited from the addition.

Does this prove that you can mess with Keller recipes successfully? N of 1, so I'm doubtful. But it does prove that Ad Hoc is more than coffee table eye candy. It's a book with recipes in it. Those recipes are for making, and after this experience, I'll be making more of them.

Also: One year ago today, I got hitched. Craziness! 10/17/10 was warm and sunny, joyous and spirited, and absolutely unforgettable in every way. Some of you were there in person to share that day with us, others shared it virtually via my post on the blog and your wonderful comments. I'm so happy to find myself in this space one year later, able to reminisce on that wonderful day with y'all. You're the best....and so is my awesome wife. Happy anniversary, D.

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea SaladAdapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

For the Cauliflower: 1 head of cauliflower salt 1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the Salad: 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 3 heads endive (mix of red and green is pretty) 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 4 oz. oil-cured black olives, pits removed 1/2 an onion (red or white), halved and sliced into thin rings 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup raisins or currants, plumped in 1/4 cup wine (red or white) 1 tablespoon minced chives 1/4 cup chopped dill salt and pepper

Curry Vinaigrette: 2 teaspoons good quality curry powder (preferably Madras) 1/4 cup champagne vinegar 1/2 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic salt and pepper

Prepare the Cauliflower: Core the cauliflower and remove the leaves. Halve the cauliflower, then cut into florets about the size of a quarter or slightly larger.

Set a medium pot full of salted water on high heat and bring to a boil. Add vinegar and cauliflower, and cook until cauliflower is fully cooked but still firm, about 4 minutes. Strain cauliflower into a bowl and cool completely.

Prepare Onions: Combine onions, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine, then set aside for about 10 minutes, longer if you have it.

Prepare Dressing: In a small dry pan over medium heat, toast curry powder until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the Salad: Remove the ends of each endive head, and slice into 1/4-inch rings. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cooled cauliflower, chickpeas, pine nuts, olives, onions (drained of their pickling liquid), raisins, and dill in a large bowl. Add dressing, stir to combine, and adjust salt and pepper levels to taste. Serve with chives sprinkled overtop.

Salad can be kept in an airtight container for a few days after serving, but is best the day it is made.

Easy Eggplant Curry

Somehow, D and I were hosted for all of our Rosh Hashana meals. Five times, we found ourselves in good friends' homes, ripping off pieces of round, honey-dunked challah, and savoring slices of apples picked as nearby as Maryland, and as far as a friend's hometown of Omaha. Five times, we ate way more than we needed to, fought to stop ourselves from taking one more piece of mushroom tart, one more spoonful of ethereal fennel soup, one more scoop of squash gratin, one more slice of my mom's famous carrot kugel, one more bite of toasted coconut ice cream. Needless to say, we're pretty stuffed.

(Another highlight, while we're on the topic: my mom made a sweet-savory noodle kugel with feta. Talk about creative! I'm going to need that recipe.)

Alas, the languid pace and gluttonous eating of the past three days can't go on indefinitely. There's work - a new job, for one of us - right around the corner. And while, after weeks of working too hard and having little time for myself, it was great to not have to cook for this holiday, it also means that the fridge is strangely free of leftovers. Needless to say, I had to rectify that situation.

I discovered this Food52 recipe last year, and made it probably 10 times in the ensuing weeks. It takes maybe 30 minutes, start to finish; it keeps in the fridge for days, maybe even improves as it sits; and it reheats like a charm at the office, which by now you know seals the deal for me.

I serve this curry with brown rice and a scoop of yogurt. If you're feeling fancy, you can make raita to go with it, but plain yogurt works nicely, too. We've got a container full of the stuff, waiting to greet us at the end of the workday tomorrow. There's no better way to start the new year.

Easy Eggplant CurryAdapted from "Purnima Garg's Eggplant and Tomato Curry" on Food52 serves 4-6

3 tablespoons peanut oil (canola also works) 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 onion, sliced 4 Japanese (long and thin) eggplants, sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 serrano chile, seeded (if you're concerned about spice - I left my seeds in) and chopped fine 1 teaspoon ground coriander 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan until it shimmers. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and heat about 30 seconds, until they pop.

Add the sliced onions, and stir occasionally over medium high heat until they are deep brown in spots (this will take a while, but makes a big difference to the taste and they won't burn if you are careful).

Add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Add half the eggplant, and saute until the skin turns brown and the flesh just starts to soften. Remove onions and cooked eggplant to a heatsafe bowl. Add the final tablespoon of oil, the remaining eggplant, and saute until browned and slightly softened. Add the onions and the first batch of eggplant back to the pan.

Add the chile, coriander, garam masala, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium low and cook, covered, until the eggplant is soft, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot with rice and plain yogurt or raita. Feel free to add other condiments, like spicy pickle or chutney.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

With the plentiful tomato salads and the peach cobblers of a good East Coast summer, lentils are often forgotten, relegated to the soups, stews, and curries of colder months. Such has been the case in our home. We've plowed through pint after pint of beautiful blackberries (making just a couple of these). We've eaten our weight in red, orange, yellow, even purple cherry tomatoes (and fried our fair share of green ones; if you're clicking over, check out those vintage NDP photos! My, how far we've come...). But the lentils, they linger in the pantry, waiting for the air to grow colder.

The lentils were hiding, for sure. But last week, I peered deep into my pantry, looking for items begging to be used - the neglected cans or bags of whatever legume I felt inspired to buy, however many months ago. Blame it on the new home purchase: I'm already twitching at the thought of migrating my whole kitchen worth of stuff, so the leaner, the better. Also: last week, I was reading about Slow Food USA's $5 Challenge, a call to food lovers to "take back the value meal" by gathering friends and family and eating a meal that costs $5 a head. Lentils give some of the best bang-for-buck of any food item out there. They're inexpensive, full of protein, and easy to make. Also, easy to make taste delicious.

In the case of last week's one-pot wonder, lentils met up with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, parsley, plenty of feta cheese, and a zippy lemon vinaigrette. We ate it just that way for dinner on Monday, and it was great. When I packed it for lunch later in the week, I decided I wanted it to have a kick, so I added a couple tablespoons of homemade sriracha to the mix. (That's right: I finally made my own sriracha! Folks, the stuff is amazing. I'm planning meals around it. If you're at all interested in making some for yourself, I'll post my own experience soon, but the original recipe can be found here.) I liked the salad even better with the spicy sriracha mixed in. Feel free to skip it, if you prefer.

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The best part of this dish is that it stays good for upto a week in the fridge. Make a big bowl of it in advance; a squeeze of lemon before serving makes the dish taste as good as new. I've never been so glad to pull lentils out of hibernation.

Mediterranean Lentil Salad makes 8 portions

I had a jar of oven-roasted tomatoes that I'd made earlier in the summer, so that's what I used here. If you don't have any, raw cherry tomatoes will work great. I also roasted my own peppers for this recipe, the process for which is quite simple: char over a gas stove or under the broiler until skins have blistered all over, then transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove, peel skins, and peppers are ready to use. With all that said, jarred roasted peppers are absolutely fine in this recipe. You can find them at most supermarkets.

2 cups Puy (black) lentils - you want lentils that will keep their shape when cooked 1/2 cup oven-roasted cherry tomatoes or 2/3 cup halved raw cherry tomatoes 2 roasted bell peppers, chopped 1 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped dill Juice and zest of 1 lemon 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lentils, and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through (test a few for doneness). Strain, rinse with cold water in the strainer to cool the lentils, and transfer them to a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients to lentils. Toss to distribute. Let sit for 10 minutes to marry the flavors, then serve immediately or refrigerate and serve later. Lentils will keep about 1 week. If serving after a few days, revive with an extra squeeze of lemon and grate of the pepper mill.