le blog de tranny

*And by you I mean me. I know I don’t speak for everyone, but when I was little peas and brussels sprouts were by far the grossest vegetables in my mind.

Luckily now I’m (allegedly) a grown-up who knows that the only way to eat the vegetables you despised as a child is to cook them with cured pork and lots of butter. But I didn’t discover this magic formula all on my own.. the Silver Spoon told me!

Making Peas Palatable
This recipe is adapted from the Silver Spoon’s Fava Beans with Ham recipe. When I made it, I added a bunch of English shelling peas to supplement the fava beans. In retrospect, I could’ve easily made this dish with just peas!

Shell the fava beans/peas. Boil them for 10ish minutes then drain them. Melt a sizeable chunk of butter (I’d say maybe 1/3-1/2 a stick depending on how much other stuff you have) in a pan. Add chopped carrot, onion and ham or bacon or prosciutto (last time I used prosciutto di parma from the Berkeley Bowl deli and it was delish) and saute for 5ish minutes. If you’re using bacon then add it first after melting the butter and then add the carrot and onion once the fat renders. Add the fava beans/peas then pour in some chicken stock. (Variation that we’re experimenting with right now: add chopped, peeled potatoes the same time you add the carrot and onion. Once you add the fava beans, simmer the mixture with the lid on for 5-10 minutes so the potatoes steam, then take the lid off and simmer til the sauce thickens.) Season with s&p and simmer til the sauce thickens/most of the liquid evaporates. I think it takes about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in some more butter. The end. Here’s some photos.

We served this with a very loose interpretation of Smitten Kitchen’s pasta with cheese and black pepper recipe that Ryan made. More generally I would say that this would pair well with a simple starch as it is so full of flavor!

Making Brussels Sprouts Palatable
This recipe is also from the Silver Spoon. It’s called Brussels Sprouts au Gratin. I pretty much followed it exactly.

It’s probably best to start with the bechamel sauce. Make a roux: melt 1/4 cup butter then whisk in 1/4 cup flour. Pour in 2 1/4 cup milk and whisk constantly while you bring it to a boil. Season with salt and simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add s&p and nutmeg to taste. Add milk or equal parts butter and flour as necessary to get the right consistency. Add half a cup of grated Swiss cheese to the sauce and stir it in until it melts.

Cook ~1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain. Heat some butter and olive oil in a pan and add diced pancetta or bacon. Cook til lightly browned. Add the brussels sprouts and a tablespoon of hot water and cook for 5 minutes. Place the brussels sprouts in a buttered dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of grated Swiss cheese. Spread the bechamel sauce over it and the sprinkle another 1/4 cup of Swiss cheese over the whole thing. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

I served this alongside spaghetti tossed with Alice Waters’ bacon tomato sauce plus some extras. Bacon, onion, canned diced tomatoes, s&p, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and some fresh cilantro to sprinkle over the top. Caro made a nice side salad to balance out the heaviness of the meal. This dinner was top notch!