Cooking Stuff #124
Recipe: One Pan Brussels Sprout Bowl
Welcome to Cooking Stuff. I’m Marcella. This is a place where I talk about all things food, cooking, and life. If you are not a subscriber, hit that button below to join us. And, yes, original recipes from me will be coming back soon. When? I don’t know but soon, promise!
It’s March, we are on the cusp of spring. Birds are chirping, trees are sprouting, and sugar snap peas are everywhere but I’m over here obsessing over brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are a fall vegetable and I was surprised to still see them at my farmers’ market. California is a special place and apparently, brussels sprout season here goes through March, who knew?!
Anyways, I have been making a really straightforward One Pan Brussels Sprout Bowl that both Marco and I are obsessed with. Me, a one-pan meal?! It’s so unlike me but so so convenient! I get it now guys.
I figured I would hold on to this recipe until next fall but instead decided the people need it now! I’m sharing it today as a Wing It Recipe for two reasons. The first is that in full transparency, I have only made it twice. I usually like to test my recipes double that before sharing them. I’m okay with this exception because second, you really can wing this and it will be great. It is simple and straightforward, I promise.
You don’t need a mandoline for this recipe but it will make things significantly easier and faster. This is my favorite one and you do need this glove to protect your fingers (trust me).
Okay, let’s jump right in. If you make this bowl, leave a comment and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Heat an oven to 425º. If you have the option for convection that is a good time to use it to get extra crispy bits.
Spread some slivered almonds on a half-sheet tray or a similar sized large baking tray. I toast the whole 4oz bag when I buy one and keep toasted slivered almonds on hand. Pop them in the oven and toast them for 15ish minutes while you gather your other ingredients. Once they are toasty and golden pour them into a bowl to cool and keep that tray out for your chicken.
Take 2 bone in skin on chicken breasts and place them in the middle of a half sheet tray. Rub them with a bit of olive oil and season them with kosher salt and pepper. When your oven is hot, pop them in and let them cook for 25-35 minutes. The total cook time will depend on the size of the chicken breast. At 25 minutes start to check the internal temperature of the chicken. They are done cooking when they reach 165º. Pull them out of the oven and let them rest on a cutting board before slicing.
Make it faster: Grab a rotisserie chicken or use leftover chicken for these bowls. Skip the step above and start with the brussels sprouts below.
While your chicken breasts are roasting slice 1.5 lbs of brussels sprouts with a mandolin. Remove any outer layers that look a little beat up. Then hold the root and carefully slide the brussels sprout across your mandolin starting at the top. Stop when you get down the root you are holding and discard that piece. You can do this with a knife as well. Hold the root in your left hand and slice carefully from the top of the brussels sprout down to your fingers. Discard the root you are holding.
Slice up two apples, I like pink lady apples here for texture and flavor, and two yellow onions. Add them to the sheet tray you roasted the chicken on. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over everything and season with a few pinches of kosher salt. Use your hands and mix everything together and spread it into one even layer. Pop the vegetables into your 425º oven and roast for 20 minutes. Use a spatula and move everything around at the halfway point. After 20 minutes everything will be hot, soft, and some bits will be brown and crispy.
While the vegetables roast, make the dressing. Slice 2 garlic cloves (this is easier with a knife) and add them to a medium size bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar over the garlic and let them sit for a few minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of grainy mustard, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and a pinch of kosher salt to the bowl. Grab a whisk and whisk as you slowly pour 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil into the bowl.
Let the dressing sit until everything is done cooking. Before you pour the dressing over the bowls use a spoon to remove the garlic slices. By letting them sit in the vinegar and then discarding them, they add garlic flavor to the dressing without a harsh garlic bite.
Cut up your chicken. Remove the bone from the underside of each breast and cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
When the vegetables are done cooking, pull the tray from the oven. Add the diced chicken to the tray along with a handful of toasted sliced almonds. Pour the dressing over the whole thing and toss with tongs. Things will be hot, be careful not to burn yourself. Serve the warm brussels sprout bowls with black pepper and grated parmesan cheese over the top. Enjoy!
Theme for this past week: Harissa
I have been seeing harissa recipes everywhere. Like Harissa Mussels with Crushed Olives and these Spicy Harissa Meatballs With Cucumber Salad. I bookmarked both and when I make one of them I will make my own harissa like I always do.
I use an Ottolenghi recipe that I can’t recommend enough. It makes more than I ever need so I freeze the rest. Either in deli containers or one tablespoon dollops on a sheet tray. Once the individual tablespoons are solid I transfer them to a bag or container. It’s super handy to pull out fresh harissa as needed.
You can find the recipe here on Epicurious. I highly recommend you try it.
*Side note on Epicurious and Bon Appetit. They moved all their recipes behind a paywall. You can view three recipes a month without subscribing. I don’t know if everyone knows this but you can open the recipes in an incognito window on Chrome and view as many as you want…🫢.
Tell me something good – I love Katie’s writing and I love this sweet ritual she does with her husband.
Where Has All the Chartreuse Gone? – We have a bottle of chartreuse that’s about 1/3 full on our bar cart. Truthfully I knew nothing about what chartreuse is or where it came from or that the monks decided to limit production. Neat!
If You Give a Woman a Cookie – “Within a couple of years, Fields sold the brand to an investment company for $100 million; by 1993, the company had 780 stores.” Insane! Great read about Mrs. Fields’ cookies. That’s Mrs. Fields below in the middle. Definitely not what I imagined!
I love watching people do what they love.
Binged all four episodes about this clairvoyant in two days.
CAR Artisan Chocolate – I discovered CAR artisan Chocolate when I had to do early morning blood work in Pasadena. As a treat, I was going to pick up coffee and a snack and it was one of the top-rated spots around this specific Quest Labs. 8:30 AM Monday morning blood was drawn and I was ready for a special morning pastry…I pulled up and to my horror, they were closed. That was my fault for not noticing they are closed on Mondays and I went home empty-handed.
A few weeks later my girlfriend sent me an Eater article about LA’s Ultimate Chocolate Croissant, from CAR Artisan Chocolate! Coincidentally I had to do more blood work and this time I scheduled it for a Thursday. Again at 8:30 AM I was ready for a treat. This time I walked away with a chocolate croissant and a plain croissant. They use Isigny Ste Mère butter from France (I saw them being made), the outside has impeccable crunch, and the inside is tender with the right about of chew. They were so good I accidentally ate both on the drive home. My only regret was not getting an almond croissant too.
You absolutely without a single doubt need a really good red wine vinegar. One with lots of flavor that can stand on its own simply drizzled over greens or in a dressing. One that you can use in your One Pan Brussels Spout Bowl!
Acid League’s Cabernet Port Vinegar is that vinegar. It has been my go-to for some time now and I love it! You can find it at Whole Foods or order a bottle online. It’s worth hunting down!!
I have citrus in the freezer waiting to be made into one ingredient sorbet as I write this. Watch the video, here.
Made the brussel sprout with apple and onion as a vege to go with roasted chicken. The remainder will be cold and dressed with the killer salad dressing tomorrow for lunch. Yummy both ways.
Definitely trying the brussels sprouts! I’m obsessed