Cooking with Dr. Carl

Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Pistachios Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup bulgur
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons sumac (or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest)
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Salt and black pepper
1 pound brussels sprouts
4 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed mint leaves, finely chopped
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup roasted salted pistachios, roughly chopped

Directions

Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine bulgur and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any excess water.

Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, honey, 3/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper until combined and emulsified. Trim and thinly slice brussels sprouts (or shred using the shredding disk of a food processor), add to the bowl, and toss to coat well in the dressing.

Step 3: Add the cooked bulgur to the bowl, along with the scallions, mint and pomegranate seeds; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. (The salad can be made up one day ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature and taste and season before serving, adding more lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper as needed.) Stir in the pistachios just before serving.

Recipe from New York Times Cooking

Previous Recipes

Bitter Herbs Salad Whole Roasted Jerk Cauliflower Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder

Bitter Herbs Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 hearts of romaine lettuce
1 small head radicchio
2 Belgian endives
1 1/2 cups arugula or watercress, washed and dried
1 rib celery, preferably from the heart, sliced very thin
2 scallions, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint (optional)
1 small garlic clove
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Wash and dry the romaine lettuce leaves and break into medium pieces. Separate the radicchio leaves and cut into medium pieces. Rinse and dry the endives and slice crosswise about 3/4 inch thick. Toss together all of the greens, the celery and the scallions in a large salad bowl and sprinkle the herbs over the top.

2. Skin the garlic clove, cut in half and remove green shoots. Place in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt and mash to a paste. Work in the lemon juice and then the olive oil. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a jar until ready to serve the salad.

3. Just before serving, shake the dressing in the jar, pour over the salad and toss.

Whole Roasted Jerk Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

For the Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower (about 3 pounds), leaves removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Jerk Glaze

1/4 cup coconut aminos or tamari
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chile oil, homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
2 dried or fresh bay leaves
1 moderately spicy fresh red chile, such as Fresno, stemmed and halved
1 scallion, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed and seeded if desired
1 (1-inch) knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain
1/4 whole nutmeg or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Zest and juice of 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Make the cauliflower: Set an oven rack 10 inches or so from the broiler. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower so it can sit flat. Flip the cauliflower base-side up and cut a deep “X” into the base, stopping when you reach the stems of the florets. This helps the core and base cook at the same rate as the rest of the head.

3. Rub the cauliflower all over with the olive oil, then season the cauliflower all over with the salt. Sit the cauliflower in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet (11- to 13-inch works best) and roast to soften up the cauliflower (it'll go from white to cream in color), 30 to 35 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of water directly into the skillet and keep roasting until the cauliflower has patches of light golden brown and is just tender enough to easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 20 to 25 minutes more.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze: While the cauliflower is roasting, combine the glaze ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. When the cauliflower is tender, remove it from the oven and heat the broiler. Use a flexible spatula or silicone pastry brush to rub the top and sides of the cauliflower (don't neglect those lower sides!) with the glaze.

6. Broil the cauliflower, basting it after 5 minutes with the juices in the skillet and trying your best to get that flavorful liquid in all of its nooks and crannies, until the top has spots of black char, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

4 ears of corn
1 pound small creamer potatoes, halved or quartered into 1-inch chunks
4 cups chicken broth or stock
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped mild green chiles
5 scallions, sliced, whites and green parts separated
5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon yellow or white miso (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light or heavy cream or half-and-half
Black pepper, to taste
Chopped crisp, cooked bacon (optional), for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs and put them in a bowl; refrigerate. Snap the cobs in half.

2. In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the cobs, potatoes, broth, green chiles, scallion whites, garlic, butter, jalapeño, miso (if using) and salt. Cook on low until the potatoes are very tender, about 5 hours.

3. About 10 minutes before serving, use tongs to discard the cobs. Stir in the corn kernels and scallion greens and cook until warmed through. Turn off the slow cooker.

4. Whisk the sour cream and light or heavy cream together in a large liquid measure or a bowl. Slowly whisk a few ladlefuls of the hot broth into the cream mixture until combined. Stir the cream mixture into the chowder. Grind in a generous amount of black pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls, and top with bacon, if desired.