The Brashness of Brassicas

Welcome to CulinaABQ food blog! This month I am going to talk about a group of products which is currently at the height of it’s season: brassicas.

Now first, what are brassicas? These are vegetables in the cabbage family. The complete list of items in this family is long and you can always look up all of them, but let me run down a list of some of my favorites; cabbage, brussels sprouts, rapini, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi. Brassicas grow great in the winter time and can combat frost unlike most vegetables. I’m not going to get too far into the scientific part of this since we are here for cooking, but it is worth noting these vegetables are known for their nutritional value, specifically high in Vitamin C and fiber.

So you’ve chosen some of these to cook for dinner along with maybe a roast, stew, roast chicken or whatever you’re in the mood for. A lot of Americans grew up with the frozen “boil in a bag” or steamed broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower, which is why I believe so many kids grow up with a dislike of these vegetables. However, my first day in the kitchen at Ad Hoc the Chef asked me if I like brussels sprouts; “No Chef!,” “Well you will after tonight,” is what I heard back. He was right. They were transformed into something magical by following his simple method. After cutting them in half and getting a pan ripping hot with vegetable oil, the sprouts were placed flat side down, with just a dash of salt. Let the sprouts brown a bit, toss in a bit of butter, toss together and then place into a 400 degree oven until caramelized and tender, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Try out these vegetables this time a year. Try taking kale and laying it out on a cookie tray and toss it with your favorite oil and salt, lay it out and roast at 400 degrees till crispy. This goes great on pasta with tomato sauce, or any dish that has some fattiness and sweetness because the bitterness balances those flavors so well. Same thing with cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower; toss in oil and salt and roast. If you want a few more ideas please do not hesitate to reach out to me through the website. We can even plan a custom lesson featuring your favorite brassica.