brussels sprouts – Fervent Foodie

Spaghetti with roasted sprouts and cherry tomatoes {recipe}

June 5, 2013 3 Comments

I’ve realized lately that the kind of food I enjoy most is food that is uncomplicated. Sure, it’s awesome to tackle a difficult recipe, but there’s something to be said for the simple satisfaction of grabbing fresh ingredients from the fridge and transforming them into a great tasting meal without consulting a recipe every five seconds.

One night, while wandering up and down grocery store aisles, searching for something that might satiate me, I became increasingly agitated. It was mega-mart overload. I set my basket on the ground and considered abandoning the whole thing and ordering a nice hot pizza. After a short silent debate (during which time I’m sure I got a couple woah-crazy-lady looks), I took one final lap of the produce aisle and grabbed the things that looked best: cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, a hunk of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (which the uptown grocery store conveniently keeps in the middle of the veggies), and a bottle of red wine. I had no recipe, just a bunch of things I eat often and love.

These days, we are inundated with recipes. They are everywhere. And if you’re like me, you’re constantly clipping and pinning and bookmarking things to try. The recipe pool is big and bottomless, and while these are great qualities for a mimosa, I often find myself completely flummoxed when I try to decide which one to make for dinner. I call this recipe paralysis. We’ve all become so reliant on recipes, we’ve forgotten how simple cooking can be.

When I got home from the grocery store, I poured a glass of wine and cranked the oven and some tunes (and by tunes, I mean NPR, of course). I put the halved Brussels sprouts and cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan along with a few cloves of thinly sliced garlic, drizzled on some extra virgin olive oil, and seasoned with salt. I roasted the veggies in a 425 degree oven for twenty minutes, during which time I cooked some whole wheat spaghetti (or was it linguine?) on the stove top. Saving a mugful of the starchy cooking liquid, I combined the drained noodles with the hot roasted veggies, a drizzle of evoo, red pepper flakes, some salt, a little of the cooking liquid, and a generous grating of the fresh parmesan. Dinner was served without the guidance of a recipe (what?!) and it was delicious.

Recipes, What I ate

An easy dinner: Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

January 10, 2013 7 Comments

The beginning of the year is a stressful time for us accountants. There’s year-end close and year-end audits plus T-A-X season. Spelling it out makes it sound a little less dreary, right? With all the extra hours clocked at the office, the only recipes I’ll consider right now are ones that take the littlest, teensiest amount of hands-on time possible.

Two of my favorite simple recipes are Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts. The oven does all the work for both recipes, and the hands-on time is pretty minimal. Ever since we made these wickedly addicting sprouts a few months back, they’ve become a Sunday night ritual. A pound of them split two ways is barely enough. There’s talk of making a pound a piece from here on out.

As for the pork, the sweet chili flavor combo comes via a simple brown sugar and chili powder spice rub, and the high temperature and relatively quick cooking time keeps the meat moist.

If you’re lucky enough to have any pork leftover, it makes for one mean sandwich!

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin (approx 1.25lbs)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
extra virgin olive oil

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray. Remove excess fat, if any, from the tenderloin. Combine all remaining ingredients (except olive oil) in a large Ziploc bag or large container with lid. Add the tenderloin to the container, seal, and shake to evenly distribute the spice rub. Lay the tenderloin onto the cookie sheet, lightly drizzle with olive oil.

STEP TWO: Cook the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes, flipping the meat half way through, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Set the meat aside to rest before cutting.

Note: if you are serving this pork with the sprouts, tent the meat with foil at this point and proceed to the Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts recipe. Serve with carb of choice.

My Favs, Recipes

Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts {recipe}

November 6, 2012 8 Comments

If you look at any list of most-hated vegetables, Brussels sprouts are at the top of the pack. I don’t understand it! When did Brussels sprouts get such a bad wrap? Call me weird, but I even liked them as a kid–though, back then my step mom covered the sprouts (and all vegetables, for that matter) with a thick blanket of melted Velveeta cheese. So, I’ve been eating Brussels sprouts since the 90’s, since before it was cool, that is, and mispronouncing the veggie just as long. I mean, did you know there was an “s” at the end of “Brussel”? It’s even more baffling than the first time I saw sprouts still attached to the stalk! (If you have no clue what I’m talking about, check out this pic!). CRAZY!

Brussels sprouts are one of my go-to vegetable sides, and this easy recipe resulted in the best batch of sprouts I’ve ever cooked. Tender, slightly salty, and dusted with sharp Parmesan cheese.