Rosenkohl and Butternut Squash

Yes, it's called Brussels sprouts in English, but I find the word Rosenkohl (rose cabbage) much more fitting.

Rosenkohl always has been a treat for me. My mother used to steam it, season it with nutmeg and toss it in butter or bechamel. In America, I learned how to pan fry Rosenkohl with bacon, which adds a whole other set of flavors.

Recently, after picking up our vegetable box, we had dinner at the excellent restaurant Incanto in Noe Valley (San Franciso), where they served Rosenkohl with course mustard, a tasty combination. They even sold the mustard (Boccalone, made in Oakland),  delicious and actually cheaper than the mass produced German version from the German store.  I adapted the recipe, and altered it to my liking:

Ingredients: about 20 Brussels sprouts, 1 strip of bacon, a splash of white whine, a tablespoon of course mustard, pepper.

Clean the sprouts by removing the outer layer. Bring one inch of water in a smallish pot to boil (with a steamer insert, if you have one). Add the largest sprouts, and then every minute the next largest, until you have them all in. Steam with closed lid for about 5-7 min total. The time starts when you put the first sprout into the pot. 

The sprouts are now very close to being cooked. If you prefer them a little more crunchy, reduce the steaming time. At this point, you can just put them into the fridge until you are ready to finish them up later in the day or the next day, which just takes a few more minutes in the pan.

Chop bacon and fry in small frying pan. When the bacon is close to being crispy, add the sprouts, reduce the heat, stir and leave alone for a couple of minutes, until the bottom of the sprouts turns a little bit brown. Stir again to give the top part a slight browning, add pepper and mustard, stir, serve and enjoy!

We also had Butternut squash in our recent vegetable box from Mariquita,  which we enjoyed together with the Rosenkohl and a nice rib-eye steak last night. Microwave squash until it is a little soft. Cut in half, clean out the innerts, and cut in one inch slices (peeling is not necessary). Since the (gas) grill was already going, G. barbecued the squash, after marinating it with thyme, a little mint, olive oil and lime juice. While on the grill, she basted the squash with a honey/lime juice baste, to give it more flavor. This is not necessary on a charcoal grill - plenty of smokey flavor from the coals. Highly recommended if you like Butternut squash!

I have been neglecting my blog for a while. However, I recently added a number of new book reviews to goodreads (see side bar). I might post a summary here later.