It’s winter…time to roast veggies! And Brussels sprouts are the perfect roastable veg. I found this recipe on finecooking.com and it spoke to me because a) I am a sucker for browned butter* and b) have been zesting lemons like crazy lately. The combination brightens the Brussels like nobody’s business.

Costco carries a big bag of Brussels sprouts that are perfect for this application.

 
1-1/2 lb. Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and quartered
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and black pepper
4 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Shallot, minced 
1-1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice  
1-1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1 tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated   
1/4 tsp Dijon Mustard

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment or tin foil.

In a medium bowl, toss the sprouts with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the sprouts out evenly on the two baking sheets. Roast until the sprouts are tender but not mushy, 20 to 22 minutes, stirring once or twice during roasting.   

About 10 minutes out, combine the butter and shallot in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat until the butter is melted and the shallots are soft, about 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high and continue cooking, swirling the pan, until the milk solids in the butter turn golden brown and the butter smells very nutty (take care that none of the shallots burn), about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the lemon juice, thyme, lemon zest, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to dress the sprouts.

Slide the sprouts into a medium bowl, add the vinaigrette, and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt, pepper, or extra lemon juice if desired, and serve immediately.

*My Dutch grandmother used to make a dish when I was young called Holland Beefsteak. It involved cooking steak in brown butter…I could have taken or left the steak at that point, but the aroma of the browning butter still makes me happy. No wonder I am happy to cook my veggies in it!  

As I said, I’ve been roasting a lot of veggies lately. This one is great if you have a big bag of broccoli on hand (also a great buy from Costco). I brought this to a New Year’s Eve party the other night to accompany our hosts’ Italian feast…these are a great way to add some greens onto just about any main meal. 

1 head of broccoli, or about 1 lb
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
Juice of 1 Lemon, freshly squeezed
Zest of 1 Lemon, finely grated

Preheat oven to 400°. Spread broccoli on rimmed baking pan and toss with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until broccoli is tender but not mushy, stirring once halfway through.

Put broccoli in large serving bowl and add parmesan, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well. Serve immediately.

They're all the rage this year, right? I've never loved brussels sprouts, but I guess it's all in the cooking. My friend Carolyn raved about this recipe, especially the smoked paprika, which I went out and bought specifically for this dish. Man oh man is it good! I even put some in with some tomato sauce and pasta.

1 pound Brussels Sprouts, washed and cut in halves  
1 tbsp Butter 
1 Onion, cut into big wedges
1/2 clove Garlic, chopped into big pieces
Salt
Pepper
Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 425*.
 
Sweat the onion and garlic in butter, about 4-5 minutes. Add brussels sprouts and saute for a minute more, adding salt, pepper, and paprika. Transfer to a large cookie sheet, and roast, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Serves 4-6.

We bought a huge bag of those sugar snap peas at Costco the other day. It's true you can just eat them raw and they're delicious, but they're also very tasty in this just-steamed format. The warmth of the peas help melt the feta a bit, combining to make one delicious salad.

Salad
3 cups Sugar Snap Peas
1 cup Feta, crumbled
1 cup Walnuts, crumbled

Dressing
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp. Brown Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Trim the ends off the snap peas if desired. Place them in a saute pan with a half cup of water, and cover. Steam for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, mix dressing ingredients together.

Drain water from peas, mix with feta and walnuts, and top with dressing. Serve with a light pasta.

This one isn't fancy but it's an easy and delicious way to cook up some quick veggies. Especially when you have a lot of them in your garden. Like we do.

2 medium Zucchinis, sliced
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Brown Mustard
1 tbsp Parmesan, grated
Salt and Pepper

Toss sliced zucchinis in a pan with all ingredients, sauteeing over medium heat until slightly translucent and soft.

I began looking through my recipes to see what we should do with all the tomatoes that are about to burst out of our garden...we've had a bunch of red cherry tomatoes, but it's the huge black heirlooms and beefsteaks that we'll soon be inundated with.

I'm thinking this little recipe might be perfect for the heirlooms, alongside a fresh salad and a hearty pasta.

4 large Tomatoes
Olive Oil for brushing tomatoes1/4 cup fresh Bread Crumbs
3 tbsp fresh Parmesan, grated2 tbsp fresh Parsley, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper Halve the tomatoes horizontally and trim the ends so that they will stand level, cut side up. Scoop out a small amount of the tomato pulp to make room for the filling. Brush them all over with the oil and bake them, cut side up, on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 325* oven for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients, with salt and pepper to taste, and divide the mixture among the tomatoes. Drizzle oil over the tomatoes and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.