Really? This was the question posted after I ordered them in a restaurant a scant while back.
Although it made me think back. I was assured by my memory that brussels sprouts were indeed the only vegetable that left me sitting at a darkened dinner table at the age of about 7ish, to contemplate reviving the circulation in my lower extremities. It was the brussels sprout that sat cold as I outwitted and outlasted my father’s patients. It was an entire stalk of brussels sprouts that I, later that year in my third grade class, brought in as a mystery object to stump my fellow peanut gallery during a presentation.

Why would I order them then? On my birthday no less?
Mostly because they were actually on the menu. I mean, who the hell would put one of the most despised, spherical vegetables on the planet onto their dinner menu?

What can I say? I’m a daredevil. That and they had bacon in them, so they had to be good, right?

Finely shredded, bacon-y delicious with a sprinkle of crushed, red chilies and lemon zest. They really were good. I ate them all, I wanted more, in fact, they were about the best part of my meal! Needless to say I’ve made them again, of course, not being a big bacon eater going to the butcher to grab three slices of bacon raised a little eyebrow, but that why we shop at the butcher, so you can get exactly what you want – and get it organic…

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
3 Slices Bacon, please, please make it organic
Pinch of chili flakes
Zest of half a lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp.
Remove and rest on a paper, reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the pan.
To the pan, add the shredded brussels sprouts and cook over medium heat until softened and steaming.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the bacon into small pieces.
Remove the brussels sprouts from the heat and stir in chili flakes and zest then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot.

Thinking game birds and not pig skins, I invited our long time friend and foodie, Lynne over for dinner.
We’ve been trying to consume as wild and locally as possible so finding a pheasant in our little grocers was nothing short of serendipitous.

I’d never cooked a pheasant before, or any game bird for that matter. I remember stories and pictures of my Grandfather in and around the Rat Pack era with ventures of Pheasants and Wild Turkey from his forested property. Stories which were prompted by the discovery of odd prints and ashtrays decorated with the birds distinctive plumage. Having found a photo or two, I’d heard about weekend escapades with old friends, now gone like the flock of birds drawn in groups from their grassy clearings.

At home with my bird, I searched for ways to do it justice. Surprisingly, of the extravagant number of those long tailed ashtrays I’d seen in my lifetime and the countless ads for hunting excursions, I had only uncovered a handful of recipe suggestions. With the first being from “Shooting Times”, I opted for guidance from our Fair Lady, Julia Child and a variation from a 2001 edition of Parade Magazine.

Pheasants, like most other wild birds, are quite lean and can dry out quickly. Many of the recipes I’d discovered suggested all out braising or wrapping the bird in bacon to roast it. Although bacon is known to be good enough to lure a vegetarian, I wanted to taste as much of the flavour the pheasant was prepared to offer us without masking it in that smoky, salted fat. In the end, I opted for olive oil, a little stock and frequent basting, while stuffing the cavity with tangerines, garlic, onion, rosemary and bay, delivering me the best part of a turkey dinner in every bite.

Served with roasted vegetables and a dish of sautéed brussel sprouts with crumbled blue cheese.

ROASTED WILD PHEASANT

1 pheasant, 3 – 4 pounds
1 Head of Garlic
2 Tangerines, halved and juiced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 shallots, minced
1 teaspoon Dried Rosemary, broken
2 Bay Leaves
1 Onion, peeled and cut into eighths
2 Carrots, peeled, halved and sliced into 2-inch lengths
6 New Potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/2 Buttercup Squash, seeded and sliced into crescents
1/4 cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Juice the tangerines into a pour able measuring cup, reserving the halved rinds.
Mince two cloves of the garlic.
Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, minced garlic and shallot, rosemary and bay leaves. Combine well and set aside.
Peel the remaining garlic, crushing four cloves slightly, leaving them in the center of the tangerine rinds.
After rinsing the pheasant cavity well, intermittently stuff it with a prepared tangerine rind and chopped onion; tying legs together with kitchen string, if necessary.
Toss the chopped carrots, potatoes, squash and remaining garlic cloves and onion into the bottom of a roasting pan; pouring the broth over top.
Carefully loosen breast skin of the pheasant; pour half of the tangerine juice and rosemary basting liquid underneath each side of the breast. Replace the skin neatly.
Place the pheasant, breast side up, on top of the vegetables and rub the skin with the remaining olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover the pheasant with aluminum foil.
Roast in the center of the oven for 1 hour, basting 2 or 3 times with the remaining tangerine juice and rosemary basting liquid.
Remove the foil and continue to roast until the breast is brown and the pheasant is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes longer. The legs should be loose and the juices should run clear.
Remove the pheasant and the vegetables from the pan.
Let pheasant rest 10 minutes before carving.

Needless to say we all like soup in this house. Nothing beats a warm bowl on a cold day. Well, maybe that warm bowl with some of that fresh bread I’ve finally been able to be baking…

Red peppers, to me, are one of those amazing vegetables. You see, I absolutely, without a doubt hate it’s cousin the green pepper, but a red one, especially a freshly roasted one? I will put in and on just about everything.

Roasting the peppers take about as long as the soup, so it’s a quick and delicious lunch…. So quick, I was very glad to have photographed it first, since the pot did not last.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Shallots, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
3 Red Bell Peppers, roasted*, peeled and chopped
1 Potato, peeled and diced
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Stalk Celery
2 Tomatoes, Peeled and chopped, 1 – 8oz can
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Dried Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

* To roast the peppers, lay them directly over an open flame of a gas cooktop, BBQ or under the broiler, turning often to evenly blacken – but not scorch. Cool in a large enough bowl to hold them, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Once cool enough to handle, peel and rub away the loose, blackened skin.

Peel and dice the shallots, carrots and potato.
Heat the oil in a large stockpot and add the diced vegetables and garlic to sweat and soften.
Seed and slice the peeled, roasted peppers.
Add the peppers and celery stalk along with the broth to the vegetables.
Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes and carrots are soft.
Add thyme, salt and pepper.
Remove celery stalk and discard.
Add the chopped tomatoes and heat through.
Purée with a hand immersion blender until smooth.
Adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Serve with toasted fresh bread or arugula pesto or garlic seasoned croutons.