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:

Preheat oven to 400F
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!
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.
Once the brussels sprouts are out of the oven toss in a bowl with the reduced vinegar mixture.
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
Meanwhile stir the ½ tsp of kosher salt into the ricotta to add some extra seasoning. Cracked black pepper is also nice added here.
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.

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My mom used to make a lemon pepper pasta growing up that was one of my favourite dishes. She added shrimp, snowpeas, and we always topped it with a generous serving of parmesean cheese (or as I used to call it “sprinkle cheese”). People often say that fish and cheese don’t go together, but many east coast dishes combine the two - I think lemon always being present cuts through the richness which is what makes it work.

Spring is a wonderful time for this pasta as there are many vegetables coming into season. Sugar snap peas are my favourite but snow peas would also work. I’ve also done this with roasted asparagus instead of peas - in that case just skip step 5 and go straight to cooking the shrimp. Add your roasted asparagus in when you add the orzo to the pan. Sugar snap peas, snow peas and asparagus are all about to hit their peak season so now’s the time to embrace this light, fresh pasta dish.

Lemon Pepper Orzo with Shrimp and Snap Peas

30 mins total

Ingredients:

340g package frozen, raw shrimp

1.5 cups orzo pasta

1 shallot, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

227 g package of sugar snap peas (yields about 2 cups)*, cut into thirds

1.5 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp of water

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

1 tbsp of olive oil

Parmesan-reggiano to serve

Method:

Place your frozen shrimp in a bowl and cover with cool water to thaw.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for your orzo.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, add olive oil and bring to medium- high heat.
Sauté shallot and garlic in the pan until shallot is translucent and garlic is aromatic (2-3 mins). Add in black pepper and allow the pepper to sizzle in the oil with the shallot and garlic for 1 min.
Reduce the heat to medium and add in your snap peas. Pour in 2 tbsp of water to the pan to deglaze the bits that have begun to stick and add some moisture to help steam the peas. Season the peas with salt and pepper.
Add a handful of kosher salt to your boiling water and then add in the orzo. Cook according to package - usually 6-7 mins for al dente.
Peel your shrimp and add to your pan. I like to push my veggies to the side and add the shrimp in an even layer directly onto the pan. Try not to disturb them until you see the pink peaking through to the other side (usually 1-2 mins) and flip them to the other side.
Drain your orzo (DO NOT RINSE) and add to the pan with the shrimp and vegetables - it’s ok if some pasta water comes with it! That will help the flavours stick.
Add butter and lemon juice and give everything a good stir. Taste - season and adjust if needed.
Serve with Parmesan cheese on top and some freshly cracked pepper.