i ran into this little number a couple of weeks ago over at ‘orangette‘ and was so glad to see it. just a couple of weeks before that and with the best of intentions i had bought a stalk of brussels sprouts. aren’t you just drawn to the sheer uniqueness of those little treelike trunks that appear around october in your produce section dotted with those cabbagesque orbs? i am. and just a month before that brussels sprouts purchase, ‘ideas in food‘ had an intriguing post that i found totally fascinating – which is about an everyday occurrence with these two unbelievable cooks who take molecular gastronomy to the highest art form. anyway, seemingly every food blogger had a current brussels sprouts dish to rave about. but a pasta version? now we’re speaking my language.
they lasted in the fridge quite well, albeit taking up one entire shelf. and then i went to costco and bought me a ‘foodsaver‘. yep. i got one. and i am now a foodsaving fool. you name it, i’m sucking the wind right out of it. i’m like a 3 year old with a jack-in-the-box, full of giggling glee every time i hit the ‘save and seal’ button.
but there’s a catch to mastering the art and science of foodsaving. me, i tend to learn the hard way, so even my foodsaving learning curve had quite the bell shape. so listen to me here, ok? you have got to watch the accompanying dvd. really. and it’s worse than reading any manual because now there is bad repetitive music and some chick in a very pink sweater with a perpetual smile. she’s gone past glee into the ‘stepford‘ zone. scary.
bottom line? since brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable and they emit gases during storage, they need to go into the freezer. as you may have experienced in one way or another, gas will pretty much do what it does regardless of about anything – which includes destroying the seal on your vacuumed bags. i had them in the fridge for maybe 2 or 3 days until i was enlightened by ‘stepford woman’ and i dashed to the kitchen and switched out compartments. when i finally pulled them from the freezer, the vacuum packed look was replaced by a looser kinda average every day ziplocked look. i guess my brussels sprouts had cut the cheese.
no matter. i ran the bag under hot water and then sliced them thinly using my food processor. the finished product was quite good, if not just a little sharp with a mustardy bite. it could have been a bit of fermentation going on caused by my faulty storage technique. regardless, it was a fine dinner and a great way to get both your pasta and brussels sprouts fix.
fettuccine with brussels sprouts and pine nuts
adapted from ‘gourmet magazine’ november ’07 – maggie ruggiero
3/4 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/2 pound dried egg fettuccine (i used a regular spaghetti)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 t salt
grated parmigiano-reggiano
slice brussels sprouts in a food processor fitted with slicing disk.
cook fettuccine in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. add brussels sprouts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then sauté over medium-high heat until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta and add to skillet, tossing with enough reserved water to moisten.
serve with plenty of the grated parmigiano
i think we got to the brussels sprouts not a moment too soon…
26 responses so far ↓
1 Robert // Dec 10, 2007 at 6:45 am
Nice save, although some of us would have aged them on purpose. Grandma didnt want the greens to taste ‘too fresh’. Looks like I have finally found a way to make the kids like Brussel Sprouts. Great pics.
2 lucy // Dec 10, 2007 at 7:02 am
I’ve been thinking about this recipe since seeing in on Orangette and in Gourmet. and you’ve made it look just loverly. I’m almost sold on trying it out.
3 minimally invasive // Dec 10, 2007 at 7:02 am
Hee-hee…”cut the cheese.” Yes, I’m 12. Anyway, this looks absolutely divine. I hope you had extra for me since I’m forbidden to cook these anytime but Thanksgiving.
You’ve made me glad all over again that I never watched the FoodSaver DVD.
4 Dan // Dec 10, 2007 at 7:57 am
You know, I DID notice those orbs on Sunday when I went Kroger-ing. I didn’t pick them up since I turned into the uber-menu planner on Saturday, but I may have to go back and try this out. Simple, pasta, and sprouts is a grand combination.
5 Lesley // Dec 10, 2007 at 8:06 am
I’m amazed at your ability to make Brussels sprouts seem tasty.
6 Lauren // Dec 10, 2007 at 9:01 am
I love brussels sprouts. The pasta looks incredible. I do prefer when my brussels sprouts excuse themselves prior to farting at the dinner table though.
7 claudia // Dec 10, 2007 at 9:34 am
robert – did you grandmother really let the greens sit? that is so interesting to me. because she would know… these pics were not a good batch. it was hard to pick one that was acceptable. but i am trying…
lucy – she adds a touch of cream. might be a good idea…
min. inv. – i couldn’t get through the whole thing but i did learn from what i saw even though it was torturous…
dan – do it! then report back… it’s a fast and easy dish. i love that.
lesley – do you hate ‘em? because you’re not allowed to hate a vegetable.
lauren – no, they farted before i cooked them. not while at the table, luckily…
8 Robert // Dec 10, 2007 at 10:09 am
Fret,
They grew head Cabbage commercially for years, ate my share. Quartered and washed internally with well water, left at room temp at least overnight to wilt. Then it was ‘fit to cook’. If wilt went too far along it got salted and crocked. Only time it ever got used ‘fresh’ was for coleslaw.
Collard greens got the same treatment. Brussel Sprouts, uh, not on her list …….
9 Dan // Dec 10, 2007 at 10:38 am
Hmmm, well, I do have a large head of cabbage that won’t all fit in the West African Ground Nut Stew, so I may have to cheat and not go buying new vegetation when there’s acceptable substitute in the kitchen…
10 cookiecrumb // Dec 10, 2007 at 11:32 am
Zow, everything I see this morning makes me so hungry! Think I go rustle up some pasta and Brussels sprouts for breakfast.
My dad gave me his old Food Saver, but he couldn’t find the dvd, so I’ve never used it…
Robert: That is very interesting!
11 ElZorro // Dec 10, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I loves the Brussel’ses. As a child, I went though a phase where all my food had to be “miniaturized”, so in came baby corn, itsy carrots, bitsy tomatoes, teensy banaas (they’re available near the equator), tiny clams, chipirones (baby squid)…
Speaking of tiny cephalopods, Whole Foods sells fresh baby ocotopi, which are awesome marinated and grilled, or in pasta frutti-di-mare, which I devoured last night alongside a bottle o’ languedoc
12 Emily Walters // Dec 10, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Yum, I’m inspired. I will be adding some pancetta to mine!
Always enjoy you blog,
Emily
13 claudia // Dec 10, 2007 at 12:43 pm
and that right there is a brilliant idea. pancetta or even some speck – but then i might leave out the pine nuts…
14 claudia // Dec 10, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Z – and your mom put up with that? hey, one of the best things i ever ate was grilled octopus done to perfection at tra vigne in napa. just simply grilled in a salad. some lemon and garlic, olive oil. i’m not sure what else but it was jaw droppingly exquisite…
i need to experiment with that
15 Emily // Dec 10, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Yep, that’s it. Pancetta and drippings instead of some of the butter…and no pine nuts…walnuts, I prefer them. I will report back, keep up the inspiration!
Emily
16 Dana // Dec 10, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I just made brussel sprouts last night! Not this recipe (though I had my eye on it!), but a hash with caramelized shallots. Delish, and this looks so fab too!
17 elZorro // Dec 10, 2007 at 3:51 pm
C:
Actually, it was my Basque grandmother who indulged me My 26 year-old-mom was back in college finishing her Jung/Freud degree.
18 pee dubya // Dec 10, 2007 at 4:45 pm
You probably already figured this out but DO NOT use the foodsaver on your body.
Trust me.
I am not kidding.
19 pee dubya // Dec 10, 2007 at 4:49 pm
El Z – are you the one buying up all the languedoc wine in Nashville? I say Sir! Most uncharitable.
20 TaratheFoodie // Dec 10, 2007 at 10:56 pm
You know, I was just saying that I wanted to cook up some brussels sprouts… I haven’t had them in forever and I have no idea why. I never thought to slice them – great idea. LOVE the color it gives to the dish as well. This sounds like a super easy weeknight thing. Oh, and your pictures have been rockin’ out lately. Great job!
21 claudia // Dec 10, 2007 at 11:13 pm
dana – the caramallized shallots sound just right with the pine nuts. that’s a great idea.
pw – Z is capable of anything
tara – my pics are getting better – not there yet. practice practice. new territory for me. big time. i’m using a tripod now and it helps…
22 melissa // Dec 11, 2007 at 1:24 am
I love brussel sprouts as well, very much. wish hubby did.
never thought about them in pasta though – I will keep it in mind. and thank you for the reminder on the foodsaver.
stepford level? ahahahaha. oh lordy I can just picture it.
also, once again as down below, I love the buddhist photo. very nice.
23 Emily Walters // Dec 14, 2007 at 9:44 am
I would like to report back that this dish with pancetta added and walnuts (instead of pine nuts) is amazing. My processor is on the blink so I had to finely chop the sprouts by hand, it was bitch but worth the effort!
24 claudia // Dec 14, 2007 at 10:03 am
i can’t believe you chopped those suckers by hand. i couldn’t have done it. i love the pancetta angle. i’m going to try this again now because well, everything is better with bacon- like substances…
25 Emily Walters // Dec 14, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Claudia,
It was hysterical, I worked and worked and worked and that pile of whole sprouts never seemed to get smaller in any meaningful way. It was like some Saturday morning cartoon.
It’s your fault, you made it look too tasty for me to wait til I get a part for the trusty cuisanart. And also, I pulled up the recipe on epicurious.com to confirm the details and your picture of the finished product looks much better and more appetizing, seems you could have promising future as a food stylist if you so desired.
Cheers,
Emily
26 FireDog // Dec 16, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Hi Claudia,
I’m kinda late on this comment so you probably won’t see it. I guess I can be extra goofy with my words. This is a blanket apology for all of my goofyness;)
I was once forced by my father to sit at the dinner table, after everyone else had left, for what seemed like many hours staring at the dreaded BRUSSELS SPROUTS!
I WON THE BATTLE….. I never ate them.
Ok, so I’m grown now.
I’m willing to try this pretty dish.
Leave a Comment