I find myself using lemon and mustard as a seasoning combination quite a bit these days. There's something really refreshing about the teamwork of the acid and the bite. Here it stands up really well with the fairly strong flavour of Brussels sprouts. This is a nice simple, straightforward treatment for them that is quick and easy, and will go well with any kind of fairly plain meat, fish, or poultry. 

Our Brussels sprouts were fairly decent this year, after a long slow struggle of a start, and we have been really enjoying them.

4 servings
15 minutes - 10 minutes prep time

500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
the juice of 1/4 lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put a fairly heavy-bottomed pot on to boil with water sufficient to cook the Brussels sprouts. 

Return the pot of sprouts to the stove, and add the butter, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for a further 2 or 3 minutes.

900 grams (2 pounds) butternut squash
450 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
300 grams (10 ounces) unripened firm (not hard) cheese such as
   mozzarella, friulano, scamorza, fontina, or even cheese curds
100 grams (3 to 4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
3 tablespoons barley flour
1 teaspoon rubbed sage OR rosemary
a little grated nutmeg (optional)
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup 10% cream

Cut the squash, de-seed it and peel it, and slice it thin, in bite-sized pieces. Trim and slice the Brussels sprouts thinly as well and place them in a colander.

Put a kettle of water on to boil and use it to blanch the Brussels sprouts. Once the boiling water has been evenly poured all over them, let them drain well. 

Slice or dice the chosen cheese, and grate the Parmesan.

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a shallow 2 quart baking dish (9" x 13" lasagne pan).

Put the squash in the pan and drizzle the oil over it; toss gently to distribute. Sprinkle over the flour and the seasonings; toss gently to distribute them. Add the drained Brussels sprouts and the main cheese and mix gently. Spread everything out evenly, and pour the cream over it.

Bake the Parmigiano for 20 minutes at 350°F. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top and return to the oven for a further 40 minutes. Let the Parmigiano rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Last year at this time I made Butternut Squash Roasted with Shallots & Cranberries.

Here is a festive take on a typical salad around here; I've done lots of quinoa and other grain-based salads, and lots of salads with roasted vegetables, and lots of salads with fruits and nuts. This one has them all, plus some pretty lively seasonings. 

It was made for a large family gathering, but it's not too fancy to be what's for dinner, and I would think leftovers would hold fairly well. Not that we found out, of course.

6 servings
allow 1 hour 20 minutes for advance cooking
allow 30 minutes to cool vegetables
allow 10 minutes to finish assembling the salad


Cook the Quinoa:
1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the ingredients into the rice cooker; turn on and cook. Let cool.

Roast the Vegetables:
500 grams (1 generous pound; probably 2) sweet potatoes
6 to 8 large shallots
300 grams (10 ounces) Brussels sprouts
3 or 4 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Wash and trim the sweet potatoes, and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put them into a large shallow baking tray and toss them with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Put them into the oven to roast.

Meanwhile, peel and trim the shallots, and cut them into fairly large slivers. When the sweet potatoes have roasted for about 10 minutes, toss them into the sweet potatoes along with another tablespoon of oil.

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut them in halves or quarters according to size. Toss them into the roasting vegetables when the sweet potatoes have been roasting for about 20 minutes (i.e. 10 minutes after adding the shallots). Season generously with salt and pepper and continue roasting the vegetables for another 30 to 40 minutes until they are done to your liking - it is a good idea to stir them at least once in the middle of that time.

When the vegetables are roasted, allow them to cool to somewhere between slightly warm and room temperature.

Make the Dressing:
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine hot red chile flakes
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
the juice of 1 1/2 large limes

Measure the oils and seasonings into a jam jar or small bowl. Peel and mince the garlic finely, and add it. Juice the limes and add the juice to the other ingredients. Mix well or shake together until well blended.

Assemble the Salad:
2/3 cup roasted salted peanuts
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Loosen and break up the cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and toss to combine. Mix in the roasted peanuts and dried cranberries. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat it in the dressing. Transfer the salad to a large serving bowl and serve.





Last year at this time I made Orecchiette with Brussels Sprouts & Parmesan. 

Here is a presentation for Brussels sprouts that is simultaneously fairly plain (not much in the way of ingredients) and fancy, what with the messing around with the food processor. I have to admit I like puréed vegetables in general, but I can see that some people may find them too much like baby food.

Still if you are looking for something familiar and yet with a little twist, this may make a good choice for holiday meals. I wouldn't serve it with squash (well actually, I did, which is why I am saying this) or mashed sweet potatoes or any other similarly textured vegetable, on account of the similar textures. Serve it with rice or other whole grains, and crunchier vegetables.  

4 servings
20 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream OR yogurt
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. Cut an "X" about half an inch into the bottom of each one, to ensure that they cook evenly and through to the middle.

Put a pot with about an inch of water in it on to boil. Add the sprouts when it boils, and cover them. Cook for 6 or 7 minutes.

Lift them out with a slotted spoon into a food processor. If there are some loose leaves, you can set aside a few to use as a garnish. Add about 1/4 cup of the cooking water, the butter and the sour cream or yogurt. Season with the salt and pepper. Purée until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the saved leaves, if you have them. Serve at once, although if you find they have cooled a bit in processing, it may be a good idea to give them a minute in the microwave. (Or if you have made them in advance, the well reheat in the microwave quite well - 2 or 3 minutes will probably do it.




Last year at this time I made Roast Chicken in a Clay Pot (Romertopf).

We went to Ottawa and Gatineau for a long weekend to visit relatives. That was 2 days on the road, and 2 days visiting, which is much too long on the road, especially given that we hit that first snow storm of the season on the way back. We were fed quite well by our relatives but food on the road leaves much to be desired, especially if you are trying to track it down in small, isolated towns, as we were. It was a relief to start our week back home with something healthy and delicious and more like our usual fare.

I mentioned before that boiled and cooled then re-cooked potatoes are easier on the blood-sugar. They make good hash, too. Convenient! Other than needing to remember to cook the potato in advance, this is a quick and simple meal. Any kind of protein is all that is needed to make it a full meal, which is also nice. If you don't want meat, top it with some poached or fried eggs. Or maybe even if you do. Bacon and sausage seem very appropriate but fish or chicken would go very well too.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time, not including boiling the potato


Boil the Potato:
1 large (250 grams; 1/2 pound) baking potato

Put a pot of water on to boil, then boil the potato for 10 minutes. Drain and cool. This can be done up to a day ahead.

Make the Hash:
500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 medium (250 grams; 1/2 pound) sweet potato
3 or 4 medium shallots
3 or 4 tablespoons bacon fat OR mild vegetable oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them into thin slices. Place them in a colander. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Wash and trim the sweet potato, if required, and grate it coarsely. Grate the potato coarsely, discarding any skin that peels off of it, which is likely to be most of it. Peel and sliver the shallots.

When the water boils, pour it evenly over the Brussels sprouts in the colander and let them drain. Meanwhile, Heat 2 tablespoons of the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato and potato shreds and toss them in the fat, then spread them out and let them cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Turn them once you can see some brown flecks starting to form. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Add the blanched Brussels sprouts and mix them in. Continue cooking the hash, turning and mixing the vegetables every few minutes to cook them evenly and distribute the lightly browned bits amongst them. You are likely to need to drizzle a bit more fat or oil over them as they cook; enough to keep them from sticking or scorching but not enough to let them become greasy. Season them with salt and pepper as they cook; if you use bacon fat keep in mind that it will be supplying some amount of salt.

When the hash is cooked to your liking, serve it at once.





Last year at this time I made Warm Chicken & Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables.

This didn't quite come out as I expected: I was picturing shredded Brussels sprouts in the buttery, saucy embrace of the mushrooms. The Brussels sprouts I got were extremely solid though, and wanted to stay firmly in slices, and I blanched in horror at the amount of butter it would have required to make those mushrooms really buttery. They sucked what I thought was a generous amount of butter right up, then sat in the pan threatening to scorch rather than sizzle. They didn't scorch, because there really was quite a lot of butter to prevent it, but it was not remotely saucy. Adding the seasonings did not change that.

Can't complain though; the end result was very tasty. We had ours with some grilled smoked sausages, but they will make a good accompaniment to any kind of meat dish, I would think.

4 servings
40 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
200 grams (7 ounces) shiitake mushrooms
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mild vinegar
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut them into thin slices. Arrange them in a colander and put it in the sink. Fill a kettle with water and put it on to boil.

Meanwhile, remove and discard the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the caps into slices. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shiitakes and cook them gently, stirring occasionally, until softened and reduced in volume. Add the garlic and mix it in just before the water boils.

When the water boils, pour it slowly over the Brussels sprouts, turning them so that they are all well wilted by the boiling water. Add them to the pan of mushrooms. They should not be particularly well drained, and if in fact there is not enough water clinging to them to allow them to steam in the pan for a few minutes, a little should be added. Mix the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms well, and let them cook together until the Brussels sprouts are tender, the liquid has evaporated, and the sprouts are perhaps being a little browned in spots. During the cooking time, mix in the soy sauce, vinegar, and season with pepper.

When the Brussels sprouts are done to your liking, turn them into a serving dish and serve.




Last year at this time I made Warm Roasted Squash & Broccoli Salad with Hazelnuts.

The vegetables in this Turkish dish are nearly identical to the ones in Winter Hodge Podge, but the effect is surprisingly different as they are presented in a tart and zingy sauce. And of course that combination of vegetables is still very delicious. I didn't have a red pepper but a number of the versions I saw of this did put one in so it is up to you.

It is important to watch the veggies carefully during the last few minutes of cooking, as the liquid should be mostly gone but not so mostly gone that the vegetables scorch. Unlike most Turkish vegetable dishes this one seems to be served hot.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time


250 grams (1/2 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 medium carrot
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
2 medium potatoes
1/4 of a greenhouse red pepper OPTIONAL
6 to 8 shallots
4 to 5 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste OR 1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper OR similar
1 teaspoon sugar
the juice of 1/2 medium lemon

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut an "X" in the bottom of each one, unless they are large in which case cut them in half. Peel and slice the carrot into companionably sized pieces.

Put a pot of water on to boil with one cup of water in it. When it boils, add the carrots and continue adding vegetables as they are prepared - not the sprouts; they go in last.

Peel the potatoes and cut in slightly larger pieces than the carrots; into the pot they go. I put the time on for 10 minutes at this point. Cut the pepper into strips; ditto (if using). Peel and quarter the shallots, and add them. Peel and mince the garlic. Add the garlic and the olive oil to the pan.

If there is not enough liquid at this point to steam the Brussels sprouts, add a little more then add the Brussels sprouts when the timer goes off. Add the tomato paste and the remainder of the seasonings, and mix well. Cook for another 6 or 7 minutes until everything is tender. Mix in the lemon juice during the last minute or two of cooking.





Last year at this time I made Curry Roasted Squash.

Hodge Podge is a traditional dish from the Maritimes made with early summer vegetables, but here are the same principles applied to early winter vegetables, and very good too.

I have been making this quite often, and it never fails to make me happy. A simple protein dish will be all that is required to finish the meal. 

6 to 8 servings
30 minutes prep time

450 grams(1 pound) potatoes
2 or 3 medium carrots
2 or 3 medium onions
2 cups unsalted chicken OR vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
450 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts

Wash and trim the potatoes, and cut them in largish bite-sized pieces. Put them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Wash, peel and chop the carrots into pieces about half the size of the potatoes. Add them to the pot. Peel the onions and cut them in bite-sized chunks. Add them to the pot.

Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and boil gently but steadily, uncovered, for about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. Cut them in halves or quarters, depending on size. When the timer goes, add the butter and Brussels sprouts to the pot.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat (but it should continue to boil gently) for a further 6 to 8 minutes until the sprouts are cooked and the stock is absorbed - why yes, that means you will need to watch very carefully at the end. The butter is important to ensure that if cooking continues after the stock is gone, things will brown gently rather than burn. Up to a point; so do watch it. Serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Pistachio-Coconut Macaroons, with an Almond-Poppyseed Variation. 

I saw an orecchiette and Brussels sprouts dish on Pinterest, and thought it was so pretty, the way the Brussels sprouts leaves echoed the size and shape of the pasta. Of course, when I then made a dish with orecchiette and Brussels sprouts, it wasn't anything of the sort, because I used our home-grown Brussels sprouts ranging in size from tiny to practically kale. Oh well, never mind, it was quite delicious, and apart from a few minutes spent mucking about with the Brussels sprouts, as fast as any other pasta dish. 

There is also some home-grown thyme in the kitchen this year, so I am calling for it in recipes more than I have in recent years. You will still have the problem that most of the dried thyme available for sale is tasteless dust. I would be inclined to buy some fresh, use twice as much as I called for here, and leave the rest out in a sieve until dry. Then you will have some decent thyme for a while.

Thyme is an easy to grow and attractive perennial, so if you have any garden space at all, it is worth while getting a plant or two. It spreads to make a good groundcover so one or two plants will usually be quite enough to go on with.

2 servings
30 minutes prep time


250 grams (1/2 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 large leek
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup unsalted butter
225 grams orecchiette or other similar pasta
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme
the zest and juice of 1/4 lemon
100 grams (3 ounces) Parmesan cheese

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. Remove (and keep) loose leaves and cut the remaining sprouts in half. Wash and trim the leek, and slice it lengthwise. Cut into slices about the size of the Brussels sprouts leaves. Peel and mince the garlic.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the leeks in it very gently until the water comes to a boil.

When the water boils, add the prepared Brussels sprouts and boil them for 2 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon, draining them well. Add them to the leeks. Put the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions (I am assuming about 10 minutes).

Stir the leeks and Brussels sprouts occasionally as they cook, and season them with pepper, thyme, and the lemon zest.

Grate the Parmesan cheese coarsely.

Just before the pasta is done, add the garlic to the pan of vegetables and mix it in well. Sprinkle the lemon juice over them.

Drain the pasta, leaving about half a cup of water in the pot. Return the pasta to the pot and mix in the vegetables and about 2/3 of the cheese. Stir well until the cheese is melted. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish or individual dishes, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over it.





Last year at this time I made Broiled Mushrooms. 

I seem to be on a kick for warm salads of roasted vegetables. This is a salad, I guess, and not a casserole, but it definitely inhabits the borderland between the two. Mr. Ferdzy was a bit perplexed by it but proceeded to eat truly startling quantities of it, so it's a happy habitation, I would say.

Wild rice is available all year round, but it always goes so well with autumn vegetables that this is the time of year I seem to use it most. This is a bit of a casual dish for such an expensive ingredient, but sometimes I don't care. Well worth it, I thought.

4 servings
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time


Cook the Wild Rice:
1 cup wild rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups water

Put the wild rice and salt into a rice-cooker with the water and turn it on. Alternatively, it can be cooked in a pot on the stove. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes until the rice is cooked and the water absorbed. This can be done a day in advance.

Roast the Chicken & Vegetables:
1 large carrot
6 to 8 large shallots
450 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
2 or 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
4 large (450 grams; 1 pound)  skin-on boneless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons rubbed savory
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Peel the carrot and cut it into short, thin strips. Peel the shallots and cut them into quarters. Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half or quarters if they are large. Toss the vegetables with the oil in a large shallow baking pan.

Cut the chicken thighs in half - you are most likely to get skin-on thighs with the bone in too, so I did this in the process of removing the bone - and toss them with the mixed seasonings. Arrange them over the vegetables and roast for 30 minutes.

If you cooked the wild rice the day before, it should come out of the fridge to warm up a bit while the chicken and vegetables roast. 

After 30 minutes, stir the vegetables, but shift the chicken pieces around to keep them on top. Roast for a further 15 minutes.

Dress the Salad & Finish:
the juice of 1 large lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Juice the lemon into a jam jar or small bowl, and mix in the mustard.

Measure out the seeds and cranberries, and mix them.

When the roasting pan comes out of the oven, remove the chicken pieces to a plate to cool slightly.

Mix the wild rice into the vegetables, along with the seeds and cranberries. Drizzle the dressing over and toss again.

Chop up the chicken and mix it back into the salad.





Last year at this time I made Lentil, Carrot & Parsley Salad.

I am referring to this as a spanakopita, which means "spinach bread" in Greek. Since it is made with Brussels sprouts instead of spinach I don't even want to tell you what it should actually be called, mostly because I can't. Fortunately the culinary substitution is much easier than the translation.

This is my usual spanakopita recipe, only I've removed a kilo (yes, really!) of spinach and replaced it with about half as much Brussels sprouts. They don't shrink down like spinach does though.

Unless you make this about a month ago - good luck with that - the odds of fresh herbs being around at the same time as Brussels sprouts are not particularly good. Dried ones do well enough, but if you do have some fresh ones, 2 tablespoons of each, well minced, will be about right.

8 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 large leek
2 tablespoons olive oil
250 grams (1/2 pound) feta cheese
1 to 2 teaspoon dry dill
1 to 2 teaspoon dry mint
250 grams (1/2 pound) feta cheese
a few good grates of nutmeg
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large eggs

8 to 12 sheets of filo pastry
1/4 cup olive oil (about)

Don't forget that frozen filo pastry will need to thaw for 2 or 3 hours on the counter, or overnight in the fridge.

Wash, trim and chop the Brussels sprouts fairly well. Wash, trim, and chop (slice) the leek reasonably finely also.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the Brussels sprouts. Cook gently for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until wilted and softened. You may wish to add a tablespoon or so of water to help them along. They should be dry though, by the time you are ready to transfer them to a mixing bowl.

Heat a little more oil in the same skillet and add the leek. Again, cook until softened and wilted down, for 5 or 10 minutes, with a little water if necessary. Add them to the bowl with the Brussels sprouts.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Crumble the feta cheese into the vegetables. Add the seasonings and mix well. When the vegetables are cool enough that they will not cook the eggs, break the eggs in and mix very well.

Have your filo unwrapped and standing by. Have the oil in a small bowl. Brush a 9" x 13" lasagne pan lightly with oil, then fold a sheet of filo in half and line the bottom of the pan. Brush it with oil, using a pastry brush. Add 3 or 4 more sheets in the same way, folding and brushing with oil.

Spread the vegetable mixture over the prepared filo pastry. Fold and layer another sheet of filo on top, and brush it with oil. Continue folding, covering and brushing with oil for another 3 or 4 more sheets. Finish the top with a good brush of oil.

Bake the finished dish for 50 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned. Let set for 20 or 30 minutes before serving.




Last year at this time I made Vegetarian Sausage.

This idea turned up on a site I was reading where someone asked for Brussels sprout recipe suggestions. I thought it was a very good one and I have written it up as a recipe, but honestly; you cook the amount of Brussels sprouts you think you will eat, in the manner that seems good to you, then add appropriate amounts of sour cream and horseradish to taste.

I will chime in to say that this would be good on cabbage too, and I'd like to try it with cauliflower or broccoli. And as ever the advice to start by adding a little - especially of the horseradish - then assessing the situation and adding more as required applies here. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. That's my mantra. (Motto? Meme? Thing I say a lot, anyway.)

4 to 6 servings
20 minutes prep time


500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish or a bit more
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. You can cut a fairly deep "X" in the bottom of each, or chop them a bit coarsely. Mine were home-grown and so uneven in size there was nothing to but chop. It does assure even cooking, assuming you chop reasonably evenly.

Steam or boil the sprouts until done to your liking. For me, that's about 6 minutes. Your boiling may vary.

Drain them very well - press them a bit in fact - then toss them with the sour cream and the horseradish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I thought the horseradish would render those redundant, but in fact a little of each was a good idea. Transfer to a serving dish and, er, serve. We're done here.




Last year at this time I made Turkey Tourtière.

With all the eggs and cheese, this is really a main dish and not a side dish, unless you are into highly luxurious side dishes.  In fact it is really a complete meal in itself. I served it with a a sliced tomato which was more of a garnish than a salad, and that was fine.

I used a mixture of old Cheddar and smoked mozzarella, which happened to be on sale last week. However, this will be pretty flexible about the cheese as long as it has lots of flavour and works with the Brussels sprouts. Friulano would be good, or Havarti, or all kinds of things. I wouldn't normally recommend mozzarella as it doesn't have enough oomph, but smoked and mixed with Cheddar it was okay.

Sorry for the terrible picture. Alas, we have reached the time of year where if I make something for the evening, there isn't enough light to take a good picture. For some strange reason most of my Brussels sprouts pictures seem to suffer...

6 to 8 servings
1 hour 30 minutes prep time


300 grams (10 ounces) Brussels sprouts
2 medium leeks
4 to 5 shallots
4 to 5 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups finely cubed stale bread
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons rubbed mint
1 teaspoon rubbed oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
300 grams (10 ounces) firm, strong cheese

Wash, trim and shred the Brussels sprouts. Wash, trim, and chop the leeks. Peel and chop the shallots. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the leeks and shallots. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Mix in the garlic and cook for a minute or so then mix in the Brussels sprouts. They should be well drained but with just a bit of moisture clinging to them. Mix them in and cook, stirring occasionally until well wilted down and bright green. Season with the salt and pepper. If they get too dry and look like scorching, add a tablespoon or so of water. Once done, remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil or butter an 8" x 10" shallow baking pan.

Cube the bread and put it in a mixing bowl. Add the milk and mix well, until the bread is completely saturated in it. Mix in the eggs and the seasonings.

Grate the cheese and set aside about 1/4 of it. Mix the remainder in with the bread, etc. Mix the vegetables in as well.

Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking pan and smooth it out. Sprinkle the set-aside cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the pudding is firm and the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbling. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.




Last year at this time I made Pumpkin French Toast.

As I made this, I reflected that it is not the easiest thing to make, and requires a somewhat experienced cook for it to turn out well. It's been a while since I have made this, or any other fried leftover potato hashy dish, so mine was not quite as perfect as I would have liked, although it was good enough.

This is traditionally a dish of leftovers. The potatoes and cabbage are obvious, but you will also need some bacon fat saved from previous bacon cookery. But you do that, don't you? After all, unless you bought really crappy bacon or found one heck of a sale, you paid at least $6 per pound for that bacon fat; you might as well use it. It also makes fried potato dishes so much better than frying them in some anonymous vegetable oil. Keep it in a jam jar in the fridge. When you have one full enough to be using to cook, start a second to avoid the phenomenon of having the bottom inch of bacon fat sit around for years.

So what makes this dish so tricky? Partly it's that the ingredients are so fluid. How much fat, salt, and moisture are in your potatoes already? Some, I would imagine. At least. You will need to take those into consideration when judging how much to add.

I further find that you must put in enough bacon fat at the start of cooking them that your potatoes aren't sticking, but avoid putting in so much that as the water cooks out of them and they shrink down, they don't revert to oozing with grease. On the other hand if you have not added enough, you will know it as your potatoes will scorch and turn black instead of a nice rich brown. You also need to know about things like wringing out your cabbage. But much of this is hard to describe and relies on experience to recognize. And of course, you will adjust your cooking times according to whether you are someone who likes your potatoes just lightly browned, or if, like me, you figure the more crunchy brown bits the better, right up to the point that it is actually burnt.

Cooking the bacon separately seems finicky and pointless, but in my experience (and cast iron pans) cooking the bacon then using the same pan to cook other things in only leads to welded-on, unevenly cooked messes. Your pan may vary, of course. But to me it's better to clean 2 easy pans than 1 horrific one.

4 servings
45 minutes prep time not including pre-cooking the vegetables


1 large onion
1 clove of garlic
2 to 4 tablespoons bacon fat
4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
2 to 4 cups leftover cooked cabbage, Brussels sprouts, or kale
4 to 6 slices bacon

Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the bacon fat in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened and translucent, then stir in the garlic. Crumble in the leftover mashed potatoes, and mix. Let cook for a few minutes, then turn and mix them about, scraping up any browned bits, and let cook again.

Chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces, and cook them separately in another skillet, again over medium heat. When they are fairly crisp, remove them from the pan and set aside. Add (some of) the fat from them to the pan of potatoes, if it seems they need it, or add it to your store of bacon fat.

When the potatoes and onions have cooked for a bit and are starting to accumulate a reasonable amount of crisped brown bits throughout, add the cooked cabbage or other vegetable, and the cooked bacon pieces. Before you do so, squeeze the cabbage to remove as much moisture as you can, and chop it if it is too coarse. Mix well. Press the mixture into the pan fairly firmly and evenly, and leave it to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Turn it, as carefully as you can and patching it together if necessary, press down again, and cook the other side for about 5 minutes as well. Loosen the Bubble and Squeak, and turn it out onto a serving plate. 





Last year at this time I made Tartar Sauce.