Roasted Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Crostini

When I travel for work one thing I can’t wait for is cable in the hotel room, and most specifically The Food Network. I love food competition shows and celebrity chef programming. A few years ago Giada de Laurentiis had a holiday special for hosting parties and she made these Charred Brussels Sprout Crostinis. I made them a few times that Christmas and they were always a hit. Over the past few years I’ve continued to make them, simplifying the recipe where I could find some shortcuts or simply didn’t have the ingredients on hand. Here is my take on Giada’s appetizer.

---

Roasted Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Crostini

Original recipe: Charred Brussels Sprout Crostini by Giada de Laurentiis

30 mins

Tip: step 1-6 can be done ahead of time. You can store the ricotta and brussel sprout mixture in the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

3 cups of brussels sprouts, shaved or thinly sliced*

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp kosher salt

¼ -½ tsp red pepper flakes, depending on your heat preference

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp maple syrup

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 container of extra smooth ricotta

½ tsp kosher salt

1 baguette, or your choice of bread, cut into ¾ inch slices

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the thinly sliced brussels sprouts with the olive oil, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes on the sheet and pop into the oven for 12-15 minutes. You want the edges to be crispy and almost burnt - that’s flavour!

3. Meanwhile, combine the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and dried cranberries in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 - 7 minutes until has thickened. Set aside.

4. Once the brussels sprouts are out of the oven toss in a bowl with the reduced vinegar mixture.

5. Place the sliced baguette onto the same baking sheet and place into the 400F oven for 5-7 minutes until the bread has crisped  on the outside

6. Meanwhile stir the ½ tsp of kosher salt into the ricotta to add some extra seasoning. Cracked black pepper is also nice added here.

7. When you are ready to assemble, schmear ricotta onto the bread crisps, and then top with a spoonful of the brussels sprout mixture.

*to shave the brussels sprouts I start by cutting the end off the brussels sprout. I place this flat end onto my cutting board and slice as thinly as I can until I reach half way. At this point, I flip the half flat side onto the cutting board and start thinly slicing until I reach a quarter. At this time I flip again the quarter flat side onto the cutting board and thinly slice until complete. This method leads to some half slices, some quarter slices - that’s ok! It adds different textures.

Paprika Chicken Marinade

This is my go-to marinade for chicken - whether its thighs, breasts, or the whole chicken! The earlier you get this on the chicken the more flavourful it will be, so you can marinade up to 24 hours ahead of time. It also works applied just before cooking.

Tastes great with my Pantry Quinoa Pilaf!

---

Paprika Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

2 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth paste.

2. Slather all over your chicken of choice, and marinade for as long as time allows. Keep in the fridge if marinating for more than 20 minutes.

3. Bake in the oven (or grill!), time and temperature dependent on the cut of meat.

   1. For boneless chicken breasts, typically 20-25 mins at 375F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

   2. For boneless chicken thighs, typically 30 minutes at 400F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

*you can also use regular paprika here but I prefer smoked, much more flavour. You can buy this at the Bulk Barn

Pantry Quinoa Pilaf

Quinoa is one of my favourite grains but let’s be frank here - sometimes it tastes like dirt. Most of the time that is because people miss the critical step of rinsing their quinoa before cooking (don’t skip this!) but also because it can have a pretty bitter flavour to it if not spiced up a bit. Below is my favourite combination of ingredients to add to quinoa, with lots of swap options dependent on what you find in your pantry. The perfect side with any protein, it’s time to add some pizzazz to your quinoa!

---

Pantry Quinoa Pilaf

20 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

¼ cup lemon juice

(swap: 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar + 1 tsp maple syrup)

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ red onion, diced

(swap: shallot, green onion)

¼ cup sundried tomatoes in oil, diced

¼ cup dry roasted almonds (unsalted), roughly chopped

(swap: walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)

1 cup parsley, chopped

(swap: cilantro, basil, mint)

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook your quinoa according to package instructions, don’t forget to rinse the quinoa first!

2. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, olive oil in a large bowl, and whisk together with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once quinoa is cooked and cooled slightly, add into the bowl and toss to coat in lemon vinaigrette.

4. Add in your onion, sun dried tomatoes, chopped almonds, red pepper flakes and parsley. Toss to combine (I prefer to use a fork to keep it fluffy).

5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Or store in the fridge until ready to serve!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Lime Dip

Last May, my dear friend and I travelled to Portugal for 2 weeks. We ate… a lot, and I’ve been so inspired by the food of Portugal since that trip. When we were in Lagos, we took a day long cooking class in the countryside (New Forest Lodge Country Cooking Class) and it was a dream come true. A day spent on an organic farm cooking with a truly lovely woman named Frances, making fresh bread and various dishes all while enjoying the fresh air and a glass of wine. It was relaxation at its finest. One of the first dishes we made was a sweet potato dip with fresh breadsticks. I kept referring to it as “guacamole with sweet potato”, because the ingredients are quite similar to a good guac. That day we used steamed sweet potatoes, but since returning home I’ve been roasting them. I find roasting reduces the liquid in the sweet potatoes and results in a sweeter, more flavourful dip. The key is to let the sweet potatoes roast until you see that caramel start to peek out of the skin.

My favourite way to serve this is with fresh tortilla chips, but store bought work all the same!

Above are images from our day in Lagos cooking with Frances - our beautiful breadsticks and the original Sweet Potato Dip!

Perfectly roasted sweet potatoes - oozing caramel

---

Roasted Sweet Potato & Lime Dip

1.25 hours total

ingredients:

Dip:

¼ tsp red chili flakes (or sub in your favourite chili oil to taste)

½ tsp kosher salt

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 handfuls of cilantro, chopped (about ½ cup)

1 lime juiced, about 2 tbsp

2 medium sweet potatoes (~1 kg or 2 lbs)

1 tbsp of olive oil for finishing

Tortillas:

1 package corn tortillas (La Tortilla Factory Yellow Corn & Wheat are my favourite)

2-3 tbsp of coconut oil

Kosher salt

Chili powder (I prefer ancho chilli powder for extra smoke and heat)

Method:

Dip prep:

*you could roast your potatoes ahead of time and store them in the fridge until ready to make the dip. Steps 1-4.

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Wash your sweet potatoes and pierce repeatedly with a fork (this will prevent them from exploding) and place onto a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Place into the preheated oven and roast for 45-60 mins, until the potatoes are fork tender, caramel is oozing out, and the sweet potato almost looks like it is collapsing on itself.

4. Set aside and cool - cutting them open will speed up the cooling process (releases steam).

5. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, scoop out the insides into a bowl and mash until smooth

6. Add in your chilli flakes (or oil), kosher salt, garlic, cilantro and lime juice.

7. Top with your favourite olive oil

8. Serve room temperature or chill until ready to serve!

Tortilla prep:

1. Heat a pan to medium-high heat and add in 1 tsp of coconut oil

2. Place in one tortilla and let it crisp (1 minute), until it starts to puff slightly

3. Flip to the other side, and cook until crisp (1 minute)

4. Transfer to a paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt and chili powder while still hot (do your best salt bae, you want an even distribution and not too much, so sprinkle from a high height)

5. Repeat with all of your tortillas

6. Slice into triangles and serve with the drip

Ultimate Rice Krispie Squares

My mom used to always make Rice Krispie squares for my brother and I, and they were the BEST. I always wondered why my mom’s tasted so much better than any other Rice Krispie squares that other moms made, and I still don’t really know. She probably made them once a week, and in preparing this recipe, her and I reminisced, guessing how many batches of these she sent up to Antigonish (2 hours away from home) while my brother and I were in university. She used to always put semi-sweet chocolate chips in her squares, making them perfect with a big glass of milk.

Back in 2015 I bought Milk Bar by Christina Tosi, and quickly became obsessed with her ability to bring together nostalgia and perfectly seasoned sweets for that ideal sweet and salty bite. Inspired by Tosi’s “Compost Cookie (R)”, I started adding pretzels, potato chips sticks and corn flakes to my squares. The result is a more grown-up flavour but the same familiar taste of my mom’s Rice Krispie Squares. Enjoy!

---

Ultimate Rice Krispie Squares

15 minutes, 20 minutes to cool

Pro-tip: the first 3 ingredients you can buy at the Bulk Barn or your local bulk store, rather than buying full packages

Ingredients

1 cup salted pretzels sticks

1.5 cups potato chip sticks

2 cups corn flakes

5.5 cups Rice Krispies

½ cup butter, unsalted (if using salted, do not add kosher salt)

1 tsp kosher salt

~55 marshmallows (about one large bag)

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup Skor toffee bits

Method

1. Prepare a 11 x 17 pan by greasing generously with butter.

2. Mix together the first three ingredients (pretzels, potato sticks, corn flakes), crushing with your hands to make them smaller pieces (but not dust). Add in Rice Krispies and stir until uniformly mixed.

3. In a large bowl, melt the butter in microwave*. Add in the kosher salt.

4. Add in marshmallows and microwave in 30 second intervals until marshmallows have puffed up / are melty and can be stirred to incorporate into butter. Stir in vanilla extract and continue to stir until smooth. Be ready to move quickly to step 5 otherwise your marshmallow mixture will harden.

5. Moving quickly, stir in dry ingredient mixture to the marshmallow sauce until fully coated. Add in the chocolate chips and skor bites last to prevent too much melting, folding until uniformly mixed.

6. Press into the prepared pan (coat your hands with butter so the mixture does not stick to your hands, or use a piece of parchment paper to press down).

7. Refrigerate until hardened. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.

*If you’re like me and somehow have reached adulthood without a microwave safe mixing bowl, you can also do this on the stove top. Start by melting the butter over medium heat, and then keep a very close eye when you add in the marshmallows. Stir often once the marshmallows are in to prevent sticking - remove from heat once it becomes smooth and uniform, before adding in the vanilla.