🥬🥬🥬~A Few Words From Susan~🥬🥬🥬 When my husband and I first started cooking together, he swore he didn’t like those “little cabbages.” It wasn’t the vegetable’s fault, he admitted; it was the memory of them boiled to exhaustion. The first time I seared them hard in a skillet and folded them
into pasta with pancetta and Parmigiano, he looked up mid-bite and said, “Oh! This is what they’re supposed to taste like.” That’s the spirit behind this week’s feature article, Charred Sprouts, Pancetta, and Parmigiano: A Weeknight Pasta—simple heat, patient browning, and a squeeze of lemon turning skeptics into fans. Our video this week takes those same greens to the sheet pan with chicken, maple, and Dijon, and it shares a couple of handy prep tricks I lean on all season. To make all that slicing and painless, our Product of the Week is the 6-inch Serrated Knife - exactly the tool I reach for when
halving sprouts, cutting through citrus, or tackling crusty loaves. Take 20% off with code SLICESPROUTS through December 2, available at the Cestari store on Amazon. Whether you’re charring
sprouts for the pasta or roasting them on a sheet pan, I hope these ideas bring a little brightness to your table. Here’s to golden edges, cozy kitchens, and discovering that a once-maligned vegetable can become a household favorite. Best, Susan
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Easy Weeknight Recipe: Maple Dijon Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Brussels Sprouts
A simple sheet-pan dinner built around butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and maple Dijon chicken. This video shows an easy microwave trick for softening squash before cutting, practical ways to handle and store Brussels sprouts, and how to bring everything
together with a two-ingredient sauce and one pan.
Charred Sprouts, Pancetta, and Parmigiano Ingredients- 12 ounces short ridged pasta, such as rigatoni
- 4 ounces pancetta, cut in small cubes
- 10 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, only if the pan looks dry
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine, optional
- 1 cup very finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more to serve
- 1 lemon, for zest and 2 teaspoons juice
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Method- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. You will use some of
this water for the sauce, so keep the pot nearby.
- Put the pancetta in a wide skillet and set it over medium heat. Start cold so the fat renders slowly. Cook until the cubes are lightly crisp and you see a thin layer of fat in the pan. If the pan is dry, add up to 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add the Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in a single layer. Raise the heat to medium high. Do not stir until the cut sides
take on a deep golden color. Turn and cook until the centers are just tender. Season with a small pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Push the sprouts to one side. Add the garlic to the fat and cook only until fragrant, about 30 seconds. If using wine, add it now and scrape the browned bits from the pan. Let the wine reduce for about 1 minute.
- Cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the
cooking water, then transfer the pasta to the skillet. Add a generous splash of the reserved water and toss to loosen the contents of the pan.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Sprinkle in the Parmigiano gradually while tossing, adding more reserved water as needed. You are looking for a light, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta without pooling.
- Grate in lemon zest, then add 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Taste
and adjust with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like gentle heat.
- Let the pasta rest for 1 minute so the sauce settles. Serve at once with more Parmigiano at the table.
NotesUse less salt than usual in the pasta water if your pancetta and cheese are very
salty. Cut very small sprouts in half, leave tiny ones whole, and quarter large ones so they cook at the same rate.
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Reader's Tips for Brussels Sprouts |
Hannah of Winona, MN writes, “I whisk white miso with maple and a splash of rice vinegar,
then brush it on the sprouts during the last five minutes of roasting. The glaze caramelizes without burning and brings a deep savory finish.” Gerald of Abilene, TX
adds, “I salt the cut sides of the sprouts lightly and let them rest ten minutes, then pat dry before cooking. That brief rest pulls moisture to the surface so they brown faster in the pan.” Tasha of Walla Walla, WA shares, “For grill nights, I thread halved sprouts on metal skewers and cook over medium heat until lightly charred. A quick toss with olive oil and lemon zest at the end keeps them bright.” Mark of Honesdale, PA suggests, “Leftover raw shavings make a quick pickle for sandwiches. Pack
them in a jar with warm vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and mustard seeds, then chill for at least an hour.” Dolores of La Grange, KY notes, “I blanch sprouts for two minutes, cool them, then freeze on a tray. They roast straight from frozen and still come out crisp at the edges.” |
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