A Roasted Vegetable & Farro Pilaf, Farro Cooked Risotto Style and Some Farro Cooking Basics

Since purchasing my first bag of farro last month, I have been experimenting with it as much as my schedule will permit. I thought I would take a moment today to talk about what I have been doing with it. I love main course grain and vegetable pilafs, so both of the things I have made so far are variations on that theme. But either dish would make a fine side dish too.

There appear to be two commonly used methods for cooking farro—although you will find lots of minor variations on these two methods. The first method is to simply boil the farro in salted water—much as you would pasta—until it is al dente. It may then be drained and used immediately, or drained and spread on a sheet pan to be cooled and used later.

The second method is the standard "pilaf" method used for cooking any grain: Cook some onion (or shallots, or spring onions, or green onions, along with any other aromatic vegetable you would like) in a generous amount of olive oil or butter. When the onion is tender, add any herbs or spices that you might be using and cook until fragrant. Add the grain (in this case, farro) and cook for a minute or two to coat the grain in the fat and get it hot. Add liquid (water or stock) and salt and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a gentle simmer, covered, until tender, but still firm in the center—20 minutes for pearled farro and 25 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro. Remove the farro from the heat and allow it to sit and rest for a few minutes.

When using the pilaf method, most recipes call for about 2 1/2 cups of liquid for every cup of farro. In my limited experience, the farro will not absorb all of this liquid. But this does not seem to be a problem—just drain off this excess liquid. It may be discarded or reserved to finish the final dish. Once the farro has been cooked, it can be "finished" in a number of different ways.

The first thing I made was a risotto-style dish. This style farro is compared to risotto because it is very like risotto in its final texture and consistency—tender, slightly chewy grains are suspended in a creamy, thick liquid. This result can be achieved in a couple of different ways. The first is to cook the farro from start to finish using the exact same method one uses when preparing risotto (toasting the grains in some fat and then adding liquid in small amounts, at regular intervals while stirring frequently, until the grain is tender and the dish creamy). The second way uses risotto that is cooked first using either of the methods outlined above. The cooked farro is placed in a saucepan, along with a few tablespoons of the farro cooking liquid (or another liquid of some kind) and some butter. The farro is then heated through while stirring constantly until a creamy texture is achieved. Most of the time I have seen this style dish referred to as farro "risotto", but I also found a recipe in Judy Rogers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook that calls this dish "Farrotto".

When I made my farro risotto (farrotto), I cooked the farro using the standard pilaf method. To the onion base, I added some diced fennel, diced carrots, thinly sliced garlic and picked thyme. Because there were only a few tablespoons of liquid remaining when the farro was tender, I didn't even bother to drain it, I simply added some butter (along with some sautéed mushrooms and minced parsley) to the rested pilaf and stirred over medium heat until the farro was creamy and risotto-like. I couldn't believe how good this was.

The second dish I made was inspired by a farro pilaf in Olives & Oranges by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox. To a base of cooked farro, Jenkins adds Brussels sprouts, turnips and beets. Although I happened to have some nice Brussels sprouts in my fridge, I didn't have any beets or turnips. I also didn't feel like running to the store. I did have some carrots—which I love in combination with Brussels sprouts—so I used those in place of the beets and turnips. Jenkins cooks the farro for this recipe by boiling it like pasta. Because I'm fond of the pilaf method, I used that method instead. Following her lead, I topped the finished dish with some shaved cheese (she suggests Pecorino Toscano, I used Dubliner). This too, was excellent. With the addition of some wedges of hard cooked egg, it made a satisfying and substantial dinner.

Both dishes reheated beautifully for lunch the next day. I can't wait to try farro in something else, because so far, farro is batting a thousand in our household. It is certainly well on its way to becoming a staple in my pantry.

Creamy Risotto-Style Farro with Fennel & Mushrooms

3 T. olive oil
1/2 small onion, cut in a 1/3-inch dice
1 large carrot, cut in a 1/3-inch dice
1 small (1/2 medium) bulb of fennel, trimmed and cut in a 1/3-inch dice
1/2 T. picked thyme, chopped
1 large clove garlic, halved or quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 c. semi-pearled farro (rinsed)
2 1/2 c. hot chicken stock (or water)
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, quartered and sautéed in some olive oil or butter until tender and caramelized
1 T. butter
2 to 3 T. minced parsley

In a wide saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and fennel along with a pinch of salt and sweat until tender—about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook until fragrant.

Add the farro and continue to cook and stir until the farro is well-coated in the fat, lightly toasted and hot through—about 3 minutes.

Add the stock, along with some salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, partially covered, until tender but still firm in the center—about 25 minutes. Let the farro rest, covered, off of the heat for minute or two.

Return the pan to the heat, add the mushrooms, butter and parsley. Stir until the dish is creamy. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve immediately. Serves 2 to 3 as an entrée; serves 4 as a side.

Note: If there is an excessive amount of liquid (more than a few tablespoons) left in the pan after the farro is cooked, drain the farro. Return the cooked farro to the pan, along with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the liquid and proceed with the recipe.

Printable Recipe

Farro Pilaf with Roasted Carrots & Brussels Sprouts

1/2 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick pieces on a short diagonal
olive oil
1/4 medium onion, cut in a 1/4-inch dice
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 t. chopped thyme
2/3 c. farro, rinsed
1 2/3 c. hot water
salt
6 to 8 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved.
2 T. minced flat leaf parsley
Dubliner, Cheddar or Pecorino

Toss the carrots with enough olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small baking dish just large enough to hold the carrots in a snug single layer, add a splash of water and cover with foil. Place the carrots in a preheated 400° oven and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to roast until the carrots are tender and beginning to caramelize—another 10 to 20 minutes.

While the carrots roast, sweat the onion, thyme and garlic, along with a pinch of salt, in some olive oil until the onion is tender—5 to 10 minutes. Add the farro and continue to cook and stir until the farro is well-coated in the fat, lightly toasted and hot through—about 3 minutes. Add the water, along with some salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook, until tender but still firm in the center—about 25 minutes. Let the farro rest, covered, off of the heat for minute or two.

While the farro is resting, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan wide enough to just hold the Brussels sprouts in a snug single layer. Add the sprouts to the pan, cut side down. Season well with salt and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until the sprouts are golden and tender—about 5 minutes. (If the sprouts are small and tender, 5 minutes will be sufficient.  For larger sprouts, it may be necessary to add a splash of water to the pan after they are golden so they can continue to be cooked to tenderness without burning.)

Transfer the sprouts to a large bowl. Drain the farro and add to the bowl along with the carrots and parsley. Toss to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning. Drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and toss again. If the farro and carrots are not hot when the sprouts are done cooking, the pilaf can be assembled in the pan the sprouts were cooked in so that the pilaf can be warmed through over moderate heat.

Served topped with thin shavings of cheese. Serves 2 as an entrée.

Printable Recipe

Sour Cherry & Almond Kuchen



When I began teaching cooking classes at The Community Mercantile several years ago, there was a woman working there as a class host and assistant who eventually became a dear friend. Because of the shifting seasons of life, she is no longer working there...and I miss her a great deal. A seasoned cook in her own right, she made a wonderful assistant, always willing to tackle even the most unfamiliar tasks. And no matter what kind of day I had had as I prepared for the class, she was always able to make me laugh and put me at my ease.

We don't see each other nearly as often as I would like now. Occasionally when she knows that I will be in town teaching a class, she will appear at the classroom door to say hello. Because she embodies the generosity that marks those who truly love to cook, frequently she brings something to share with me—eggs from her hens, freshly pressed cider, or the incomparable sour cherries that grow on her cherry trees.

Sour cherries have a very short season. They are also highly perishable—beginning to rot almost as soon as they are picked. Even at my farmers' market, I am disappointed with the quality of the sour cherries that I have found. It seems you must have your own tree—or a good friend with a tree. This past summer when my friend stopped by with her cherries, I think she had made the trip into town just to bring them to me. They had been picked that morning and they were beautiful.

I'm not sure there is a better way to adequately express thanks for such a special gift than to enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed.  So I went home and made a sour cherry pie the next day.  In years past my friend's cherries have made their way into summer fruit crisps (my favorite is with apricots), mini turnovers and sour cherry preserves. One year I used the preserved cherries the following Christmas to make a Cherry-Chocolate Trifle for my family's Christmas dinner. And I always pit and freeze a large quantity of them, knowing that I will find ways to enjoy them throughout the coming year. Because of their brilliant red color, I tend to think of using them most often at Christmas and Valentine's Day. This year, as we approached Valentine's Day, I thought I would use some of them to make a kuchen.

I don't speak German, but apparently kuchen is simply the German word for cake. In America, a kuchen is a specific kind of coffee cake. Made in the style of a German or Austrian breakfast pastry, a kuchen is a fresh fruit-filled cake that is frequently topped with a streusel. To me, it could be compared to a fruit and streusel tart made with a cake-like crust. Some definitions state that the cake portion should be yeast-raised, but recipes that use a simple butter cake as the base are common.

My kuchen is modeled after a coffee cake that my mother made when I was growing up. Her recipe was from a Minnesota-based regional cookbook and unfortunately called for canned cherry pie filling. Everyone in my family has always liked this cake, so when it began to fall to me to make our family's traditional Christmas coffee cake, I decided to create my own scratch version. After fixing the filling, I have continued to tinker with the rest of the cake over the years—adjusting the cake itself, then the streusel, and finally the size and shape of the pan—until the cake became what it is today....a Sour Cherry & Almond Kuchen.

I am sure that this cake would be good made with other kinds of fruit fillings. But I am partial to the cherry version...and I think I have just enough cherries left in my freezer to make one more before the winter is over.

Sour Cherry & Almond Kuchen

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. (5 T. plus 1 t.) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. almond extract
1 large egg
1/3 c. milk
1 recipe sour cherry topping (see below)
1 recipe almond streusel (see below)

Preheat an oven to 350º F. Butter a 10- by 2-inch round cake pan, line with a round of parchment and butter the parchment. Flour the pan. Set aside.

Combine the first three ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the extracts, followed by the egg. Fold in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternately with the milk in one addition.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and spread the sour cherry topping evenly over the batter, leaving a border of exposed batter about 1/2-inch wide around the edge of the pan.

Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the cake.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake by running a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a plate or a rack. Remove the parchment round and flip the cake back onto a serving plate (or wire rack).

Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8 to 10

Sour Cherry Topping:
10 oz. pitted frozen sour cherries, (2 heaped cups)—see note for using fresh cherries
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. plus 1/2 t. cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1/8 t. almond extract

Place the frozen cherries in a bowl and allow to thaw until there is just enough liquid to moisten the cornstarch.

In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the cherries, along with any juices, stirring until the dry ingredients are completely moistened.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. The liquid will begin to thicken and become translucent. Gently boil for 1 to 2 minutes—until the juices are clear and thick. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the almond extract. Cool completely before using. It is best to make this the day before.

Note: If you have fresh sour cherries, you will need 12 oz. of cherries. Pit them and combine them in a small saucepan with the dry ingredients—reducing the cornstarch to 1 T. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes so that the cherries will begin to release their juices. As soon as the dry ingredients are fully moistened, proceed with the recipe.

(Sour Cherry Topping adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

Almond Streusel:

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

3 T. unsalted butter
1/3 c. sliced almonds, lightly toasted and cooled

In a small bowl, rub the butter into the flour and sugar. Add the almonds and toss to combine. Set aside. 

Printable Version



A Simple Goat Cheese Tart (and a Valentine's Day Salad with Dried Tart Cherries, Pears & Toasted Hazelnuts)





During my years at The American Restaurant in Kansas City, I was given several opportunities to create items for the dinner menu. At the time I thought, and still think, that this was quite an honor (I was just a young cook, after all). It was also a great exercise in applying the things I was learning about food every day—how to combine flavors in a harmonious and thoughtful way and then present them beautifully. Even at this early stage in my career, my interests leaned toward vegetables and the seeming never-ending possibility that they present. Because of this, most of my menu items were salads, appetizers and vegetable side dishes. One of my all time favorites was a salad course that featured a simple goat cheese tart.

My goal when I was working on this tart was to create a tart filling that was more dense than it was custardy. I discovered that, just as with a dessert-style cheesecake, it was the addition of cream (or milk, or half & half), not the addition of the egg, that gave a custardy effect. After one or two tries, I found that I didn't want any liquid in the tart at all. My final version was nothing more than soft goat cheese, bound with just enough egg so that the tart could be sliced. The result—warm goat cheese cradled in a crisp crust—was exactly what I was after.

The tart, as we served it at The American, featured fresh Laura Chenel goat cheese and was sprinkled with some minced thyme and rosemary. It was garnished with fennel and orange infused Niçoise olives and served alongside a small salad of baby greens dressed with a simple red wine vinaigrette. I was so pleased with this menu item. It stayed on the menu for a relatively long period and even garnered a positive mention in a New York Times Review.

As much as I liked it, I have not made this tart in years. I decided to pull it out and dust it off for an upcoming dinner class at The Community Mercantile in Lawrence, Kansas. Although I loved the Provençal flavors of the original accompaniments, because this dinner falls on the Friday before Valentine's day, I decided to garnish it with a salad featuring dried tart cherries, pears and a port-reduction vinaigrette. The sweet tart flavors are wonderful with the goat cheese.

When I made the tart again the other day—sort of a trial run before the dinner to verify that the written recipe that I will be handing out at the dinner is accurate—instead of just sprinkling the tart with the minced herbs, I folded them in along with the zest of a lemon. The lemon is particularly nice with the dried cherries and port. I also found when I started to make the tart that I was 4 oz. short of goat cheese. I happened to have about 4 oz. of mascarpone left over from something else, so I used that to make up the balance. It turned out very nice—maybe a tad softer than the original version. I have noticed a goat cheese tart in the Balthazar Cookbook that cuts the goat cheese with half cream cheese—a tasty and money saving alternative.

One of the nice things about this tart is that it can be made ahead—making it a perfect first course for a dinner party...or a ladies luncheon.  Also, once you begin to think about the kinds of things that you like to pair with goat cheese (olives, dried and fresh fruits—in particular cherries & figs, roasted red peppers, beets, fresh fennel, tomatoes, summer and winter squash,...) the possible accompaniments for this simple little tart begin to multiply....  

Goat Cheese Tart

1 lb. soft goat cheese (Montrachet type), at room temperature
1 t. minced fresh thyme, plus more for sprinkling over the tart
1/4 t. minced fresh rosemary, plus more for sprinkling over the tart
zest of 1/2 a lemon
2 large eggs, beaten
salt and freshly-ground pepper
one blind-baked 9-inch Pâte Brisée tart shell (see below)

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the goat cheese just until smooth. Beat in the herbs and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the egg until fully incorporated.

Spread the goat cheese mixture into the tart shell and sprinkle with the reserved herbs.

Bake at 325° until just set—about 25 minutes. Cool. The tart may be made the day before serving. To serve, cut into wedges and warm in a low oven. Serves 8 as part of a light entrée or 12 to 16 as part of a first course salad.

Note: For the original version of this tart, omit the lemon zest and the minced herbs from the filling. Sprinkle the surface of the tart lightly with some of the minced herbs before baking.

Pâte Brisée (Short Crust Pastry):
1 c. all-purpose flour (4 oz.)
1/4 t. salt
6 T. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, chilled and sliced
2 to 3 T. ice water

Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the butter. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 2 T. ice water over the flour/butter mixture. Using your hands, fluff the mixture until it begins to clump, adding more water, a bit at a time, if necessary. Turn the dough out onto a counter and form into a mound. Using the heel of your hand, gradually push all of the dough away from you in short forward strokes, flattening out the lumps. Continue until all of the dough is flat. Using a bench scraper, scrape the dough off the counter, forming it into a single clump as you do. Form the finished dough into a thick disk. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

To roll out: Let the disk of dough warm up for a moment or two. Butter a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Brush off the excess flour and transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Ease the dough into the pan being careful not to stretch it. Cut the dough off flush with the edge of the pan by pressing gently. Chill the shell for at least 1/2 hour.

To blind bake: Line the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing it into the corners and edges. Add a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in a 400° to 425° oven for 10 to 18 minutes. When the pastry begins to color on the edges, remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the pastry dries out and turns a light golden color. Let cool before filling.

Note: The tart dough may be made ahead and frozen—raw in disk form, or rolled out in the pan (raw or baked).

Salad of Baby Greens, Pears, Hazelnuts & Dried Tart Cherries

1 c. Port
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. lemon juice, or to taste
1 shallot, minced (about 1 1/2 to 2 T. minced shallot)
6 T. Olive oil

8 small handfuls of mixed baby lettuces (5 or 6 oz.)
2 ripe pears (Anjou or Bartlett)
1/2 to 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried tart cherries

Simmer the port in a small saucepan set over low heat until reduced to 2 T. of syrupy liquid. Set aside to cool.

While the port reduces, place the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl with the shallots. Let the shallots macerate briefly to soften. Whisk in the cooled reduced port and season with salt & pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Taste and correct the seasoning and balance.

Place the greens in a large bowl. If the pears are firm (or even crisp), halve core and thinly slice, lengthwise (a mandoline slicer works well for this). If the pears are buttery-soft, peel, halve, core and cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Add the pears to the lettuces along with some of the hazelnuts and cherries. Season with salt & pepper and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Toss until the greens and pears are lightly but thoroughly coated with the vinaigrette. Divide the salad among individual serving plates, sprinkling with more hazelnuts and cherries and drizzling with a little more vinaigrette, if desired.

Serves 8 alongside a small wedge of goat cheese tart as a salad course. Serves 4 as a light entrée or lunch course with a larger slice of tart.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

I am always on the lookout for good cookie recipes—you can never have too many.... On a recent visit to Lara Ferroni's blog Cook and Eat I found a recipe for a cookie that I knew I had to try—Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies. Conceived of along the lines of a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but with the addition of some cocoa and hazelnut flour, they seem like a particularly good idea.  I love this flavor combination and I was so pleased with the Chocolate Gingerbread recipe that I found on her blog last fall that I felt like this cookie recipe would probably be a winner, too.  And they are.  The dough bakes up into a slightly chewy, chocolate-y cookie with a rich background taste of roasted hazelnuts.  They are excellent with a cup of strong coffee.

The original recipe calls for a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours. I made my second batch with just all-purpose flour. The cookies are fine with the whole wheat flour, but I like them best without it. I don't always object to incorporating whole wheat flour into cookies. Cookies—like these—that have ingredients with strong flavors and textures that can stand up to the presence of the whole wheat are a good place to tuck in a little bit of whole grain goodness. Last year I posted a favorite recipe for Banana-Walnut Cookies that includes whole wheat flour. But there was something about this cookie that made me rebel a little bit at the thought of adding whole wheat flour. Sometimes it's nice just to splurge on a cookie (or two) and not worry too much about whether or not they are good for you.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

1/3 c. (45 g) hazelnuts
1 1/4 c. (150 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 c. (25 g) cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. (100 g) golden brown sugar
1/2 c. (100 g) sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in a 350° oven until the skins begin to split and the nuts (under the skins) are turning a golden brown—about 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap the warm nuts in a towel (use an old towel—the hazelnuts will stain your towel) and allow them to steam for a few minutes to encourage the skins to come off. Rub the nuts vigorously with the towel to remove as much of the skins as will easily come away. Generally speaking, the skins of hazelnuts are bitter and you want to remove as much as possible. For these cookies, this doesn't seem to be an issue, so it isn't necessary to work too hard at this. Let the nuts cool and then grind them flour-fine. A nut grinder works best for this, but you can grind them in the food processor if you add a couple of tablespoons of the granulated sugar.  If using the food processor, you will not be able to grind the nuts as finely—they would turn into nut butter if you tried.  (You could also use purchased hazelnut flour. Toast the nut flour briefly—until fragrant—and let cool before using.)

Whisk the nut flour together with the all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugars just until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat in the egg followed by the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be very stiff and will seem dry. Add the chocolate chips as the last of the dry ingredients are disappearing into the dough.

You can bake these immediately, but I think they taste better if the dough chills overnight. Scoop the dough with a level tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. Roll the scooped cookies into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading the balls 2 inches apart. Flatten the balls slightly.

Bake the cookies in a 350° oven for about 8 to 9 minutes, turning the sheet half way through the baking. The cookies will puff up as they bake and begin to crack. The cookies will just be beginning to collapse when you remove them from the oven (all of them may not have begun to collapse, but take them out anyway or they will be hard and crunchy when they are cool).

Since the cookies will still be quite soft, allow them to sit on the cookie sheets for 2 or 3 minutes (until they are firm enough to lift with a spatula) before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

(Recipe adapted from the original at Cook and Eat  to create a chewier, less crunchy, cookie)

Printable Recipe

Pasta with Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Bacon





We had one of my favorite winter pastas for dinner last night—Orecchiette with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon. Since I noticed a few days ago that I hadn't posted a pasta recipe in a couple of months, I thought I would share it here. Brussels sprouts may seem like an odd thing to turn into a pasta sauce, but one of the things I love about pasta is that almost anything, if given an appropriate treatment, can be used to dress pasta.

I have been making this recipe for so long now, it is like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers at the end of a long day. Which made it perfect for yesterday—a day filled with lots of cooking, then shopping for more cooking...with lots of snow shoveling tucked in between. The recipe is based on a vegetable side dish in Alice Water's Chez Panisse Vegetables—and indeed it makes a pretty wonderful side dish, but I like to have it on pasta for a quick, satisfying, one-dish meal.

As you read the recipe, you may have a slight feeling of déjà vu. I hadn't thought about it before, but this dish has a lot in common with the Warm Cabbage Salad that I posted a few days ago. Both dishes feature a member of the cabbage family, shredded and cooked in a base of onions, garlic, herbs and then accented with a salty pork product, nuts and cheese. In one, the cabbage is barely cooked, so that it retains a bit of crunch, and is then finished with a bit of vinegar to become a salad. In the other, the baby cabbages are braised to softness and tossed with noodles to make a hearty pasta dish. This is one of the things I love about cooking—how much difference small details can make.

I don't always top this pasta with minced walnuts and finely grated Pecorino—most of the time I top it with toasted breadcrumbs. Either finish adds crunch. The breadcrumbs add sweetness, the nuts and cheese add salt. How you finish it will depend on your mood. This really is a very easy going dish. If you don't have red onions, use yellow onions or shallots instead. Pancetta in place of the smoked bacon is also very nice.  On the occasion when I prepare Brussels sprouts this way as a side dish, I usually dispense with the breadcrumbs, nuts and cheese altogether.  Sometimes I tuck in a diced sautéed apple—always a happy combination with cabbage, bacon and onions.  However you choose to prepare it—on pasta or as a side—if you have never thought to shred and braise Brussels sprouts, much less toss them with pasta, I hope you will give this dish a try. Maybe it will become one of your favorites, too.

Pasta with Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Bacon

1 to 1 ¼ lb. Brussels Sprouts
4 to 5 oz. bacon, cut cross-wise in ¼” strips
1 medium red onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (optional)
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
¼ c. chicken stock or water
1 lb. orecchiette or farfalle
Extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 T. Toasted breadcrumbs

Cut out the stems, and separate the sprouts into leaves. Thinly slice the hearts.

Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium to medium-low heat. While the bacon is cooking, quarter the onion lengthwise and then thinly slice the quarters crosswise; set aside. When the bacon is nearly crisp,

transfer it to a plate using a slotted spoon. Return the pan with the bacon fat to the stove and increase the heat slightly (medium to medium high). Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are wilted and nicely caramelized (about 5 minutes).

If using, add the garlic, pepper flakes and/or thyme and cook, stirring, until fragrant—about 1 minute. Add the sprouts to the pan along with the bacon. Stir to coat the sprouts with the bacon fat. If the pan seems dry (if the bacon was very lean) add a little olive oil. Reduce the heat and add the stock or water and season lightly with salt.

Cover and cook until the sprouts are wilted and tender—about 10 minutes. Check the sprouts occasionally as they cook; if they seem dry, add more stock or water.

While the sprouts are cooking, bring 6 quarts of water to the boil in a large stock/pasta pot. Add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain. Add the pasta to the Brussels sprouts.

If the pasta seems dry, add a splash of the pasta water. Season with black pepper and salt, if necessary. Divide the pasta among shallow pasta/soup bowls and drizzle each with a bit of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs and serve.  Serves 4 to 6

(Recipe adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters)

To toast breadcrumbs: In a food processor, process sliced/torn bread (crusts removed if they are very hard), until bread is in uniform soft crumbs. Spread crumbs on a rimmed cookie sheet and “toast” in a 300 degree oven until golden brown and dry, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes). Drizzle crumbs with olive oil and toss to combine. Crumbs can be used immediately or cooled and stored airtight at room temperature for a week or so.

Variation: Instead of breadcrumbs, top the pasta with toasted and finely chopped walnuts (4 to 6 T.) and a generous grating of Pecorino.