If you were fed vegetables as a kid, you know how daunting they can be. The brussels sprout, green bean, and broccoli have caused many a child much trauma.
The brussels sprout is well-known for its strong odor, bitterness, and fibrousness. These issues are solved by extending the cooking time and NOT BOILING. Green beans are difficult because of their insanely short cooking time, which, if over-reached, leads to mush. The way around this is a quick boil followed by a short blanche. And broccoli is just annoying, ugly, and bland. Therefore, it needs to be dressed up like the real beaut it is.
You can’t resist charred balsamic brussels sprouts. Photo by Brandon DeLucia ’21.
In order to de-stigmatize these infamous greens, I made each a recipe that you won’t be able to resist. These dishes will wow you and any company as a snack, side, or even entrée.
The simplest concoction is the charred balsamic brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts actually have great flavor, but it has been masked by the crudeness of being undercooked for too long. Thus they should come out looking almost burnt. I washed, de-stemmed, and quartered 20 sprouts. I then splashed a bit of olive oil in a pan at medium heat. They went in alongside a seemingly excessive dash of Lawry’s seasoning salt, black pepper, and a quarter-cup of vegetable stock. Then, for what felt like an eternity, I frequently stirred the quartered-spheres until they became a good medium brown. After that, a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze. Liquid works too, I guess (sighs in Italian).
I love this recipe because it checks so many boxes you never would have expected. These are sweet, salty, acidic, and they can wear all of the hats. Snack? Yum. Fancy side dish? Ooh, la la! Diet food? Healthy as ever. You can also experiment with any other types of flavors: most vinaigrette or creamy bottled dressings will substitute stunningly.
Moving onto the fanciest of the three, the green beans. I decided to top them with crispy caramelized onions and almonds, dressed in a creamy hollandaise-like lemon garlic sauce.
I boiled the beans for three minutes, then bathed them for five and set them to dry. I buttered a low heat pan and threw in half of a medium-sized onion chopped into long strips. A small handful of almond slices was then added for a small crunch. After 10-ish minutes, the onions should be translucent, and the stove turned to high heat to give the onions a crisp. Minutes passed, and I emptied the pan and added four tablespoons of butter and an eighth-cup of flour, whisking vigorously. Once combined, I added the juice of one-half lemon, four smashed garlic cloves, and a third-cup of vegetable stock, whisking for five minutes. I removed the garlic, poured the sauce into a bowl, then cooked the beans and onions to return their firmness. Then I plated.
Broccoli stir fry will make your heart sing. Photo by Brandon DeLucia ’21.
I adore this dish because it’s technical, but not very. It makes you seem and feel like a chef while impressing people for making them reconsider these beans. The dish is decadent, yet still quite healthy. It presents salt, fat, and citrus cascaded over a bright green, sweet crisp, and crunch. What isn’t to love?
Now, for le actual meal. This broccoli dish is how it must feel eating stir-fry from the home of Barefoot Contessa. I steamed two cups of rice, then put two handfuls of broccoli into an oiled pan. I then added 20-ish gently smashed peanuts. A few minutes later I added a half-cup of canned pineapple chunks. While cooking, I mixed four tablespoons teriyaki sauce, one and a half tbs. of the pineapple juice, one teaspoon soy sauce, one-half tsp. garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. I then plated the rice and broccoli mixture, drizzling the sauce over.
This recipe is great because it is surprisingly hard to fail. Though different from the sprouts, you get dinner for two. This combination has tangy and salty, but lightness from the sweet fruit. Whether or not you like broccoli, you for sure will enjoy this dish; it is quite a playful and bright experience for the palate.
Try enhancing green beans with a hollandaise-like sauce. Photo by Brandon DeLucia ’21.
Vegetables are a necessary evil…NOT. If I have taught you anything, I hope that you now see how easily we may right the wrongs of the past. Just because we had horrible childhood experiences does not mean that we can’t enjoy our greens!
