Shaved brussels sprouts, orange, feta and smoky pecan crumbs
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary.
Give the gift of Tenderheart these holidays - signed copies are available in-store at Books are Magic and Kitchen, Arts and Letters in New York. Available online here or here.
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Every December, Sydney’s cherry season is ushered in with a charity auction for the first box. This week, this year’s first box sold for $60,000. A bargain, compared with the record price paid in 2010 of $110,000.
The annual auction takes place at The Sydney Markets, formerly known as Flemington Markets, where my father worked for most of his time living in Australia. These markets were the source of all the fruit (and vegetables) that nourished and thrilled me as a child. In particular, Christmas time was a bonanza for ripe fruit, every day brought new treats. From that first euphoric bite into a plump, juicy cherry, to making a mess while devouring sweet, fleshy mangoes and the daily gorging of stone fruit, the season was one of carefree abundance. In the afternoons, we would sit on the front balcony and ravage thick slices of watermelon, spitting out the seeds onto the front lawn (compost!) and watch the rolling clouds as the ‘southerly’ blew in (‘southerly’ is what we called the southerly winds which would arrive in the early evening, cooling down the day).
While it’s not cherry season in New York, I’m equally excited about the arrival of citrus. Last week, I devoured a pomelo so perfectly tangy and sweet, that I surmised that it might have been the best of my life. I went straight back to my coop and bought another one. The mandarins are still a little tart, but the flavor is promising. Oranges in the winter are a savior, a bright jolt to my taste buds. This week, I created my first wintry salad with orange – I added it to shaved some brussels sprouts and crumbled feta and dressed it up with a tangy and sweet mustard seed and maple vinaigrette.
This week
A Christmas dessert frontrunner - MATCHA-MISU. A lighter, earthier version of tiramisu, with the coffee replaced with matcha tea powder. It’s eggless too and a great dish to make ahead of time. It’s absolutely delicious, trust me!
THE Adam Gopnik (the esteemed writer and essayist at The New Yorker and YES, the real life journalist who interviews Cate Blanchett on stage during the opening scenes of TAR) picked TENDERHEART as his favourite cookbook of 2023! Mind is blown. This reminded me of that moment during my Union Square Book Signing in June when Adam came up and introduced himself and told me he loved the book. It was so busy, I didn’t really have a moment to think about it. A New York Moment.
TENDERHEART was also named as one of 2023’s best cookbooks in Canada’s The National Post, Good Housekeeping, Here and Now on WBUR/NPR (I spoke to Scott Tong about Tenderheeart earlier this year).
Looking for gift ideas? I admit, while I had the best of intentions, I wasn’t organized enough to put together a holiday gift guide. But here are a few ideas I’ve had floating around in my head:
Food: This set of curry sauces and condiments from Brooklyn Delhi is a show stopper. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to receive this. The festive box is gorgeous too, featuring illustrations by Delhi-based artist Anjali Mehta. I’m obsessed with their simmer sauces and use them to make effortless midweek meals (their website has great recipes!). Plus the gift box that it comes in is so colorful and inviting. I also want to float the idea of a beautiful bottle of olive oil as a gift. I think it’s a classy gift that feels both indulgent and useful. I love Brightland and Wonder Valley. For the person who has everything, I cannot recommend these Lady M crepe cakes enough - they are an indulgence for sure, but your gift recipient will relish every single bite (and you know me, I don’t even like cake LOL). They ship nationally in America. And if you’re lucky, you might still be able to grab THE BEST and most coveted cookie tin - Bạn Bè’s Vietnamese butter cookies will ship out 18th December and will hopefully reach US addressed by Christmas.
Kitchen: This salt dome from Material Kitchen is one of the most stunning everyday pieces in my kitchen. It straddles that line of form and function. There are two compartments and it’s fun deciding what you’ll put into each - I currently have salt flakes in the dome section and MSG in the bottom. I also love their glasses - I have the green ones but I’m now eyeing their lavender ones. If you’re a ceramics collector like me, check out my favourite Australian homewares store The DEA Store, which has the most beautiful things.
Fashion: I have a deep love for anything from 7115 by Szeki. Every single piece is carefully considered and touched by founder Szeki Chan. These are classic pieces that you’ll keep forever.
NYC Experiences: If you’re looking for a unique ‘experience’ in NYC, consider these very special events run by Kinka. The events are Japanese inspired - there are workshops for kokedama making, modern kintsugi (the Japanese art of mending ceramics by highlighting or emphasizing imperfections), Chabana (the arrangement of seasonal flowers for a Japanese tea ceremony) and more.
I’m working on a comprehensive guide to a vegetarian Christmas, with recipes of mine from around the internet. I hope to share this next Sunday.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPE
Shaved brussels sprouts, orange and feta salad with pecan crumbs
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love
There are many ways to adapt this salad. I’m thinking you could roast your sprouts if you prefer a salad that is not raw. The oranges could be substituted with a stone fruit if you are somewhere where peaches, plums or nectarines are available. Pomelo would work too. If feta is not your thing, try a salty hard cheese like shaved parmesan or pecorino; shards of gruyere would be nice too. Make it vegan by using vegan feta or omitting the feta altogether and subbing in salty olives.
The salad is rounded out by the earthy, licorice notes of tarragon leaves; I don’t often pick up tarragon at the store but it was a lovely surprise in this no-cook salad. If you cannot find tarragon, that is fine, substitute with another herb – I’m thinking basil or parsley would work nicely.
The pecan crumbs are not to be missed. The nuts are ground up with smoky spices, making a wonderful salad topper. Keep this recipe on hand to make with other nuts. Make sure your pecans are roasted as this will make the crumbs much more flavorful.
Serves 4, a light meal or many more as a side
Smoky pecan crumbs
50g (1/2 cup) toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon garlic or onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garam masala or ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon kashmiri chili powder (or other mild chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad
450g (1 pound) Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
2 oranges 600g, peel and pith removed (keep any juice)
Handful tarragon or parsley leaves
170g (6 oz) Greek feta, crumbled
Mustard Seed and Maple dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar (I used champagne vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
In a small blender (I use my NutriBullet), add the pecans, garlic or onion powder, paprika, garam masala or ground coriander, chili powder and salt. Blitz for 2-3 seconds (or pulse 2-3 times) until the nuts are ground into a coarse powder.
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard seeds, garlic, vinegar, salt and maple syrup.
Slice the oranges into segments, keeping all the juice.
In a large bowl, add the Brussels sprouts, oranges (and their juice), feta, tarragon or parsley and the dressing. Toss to combine. Season with black pepper and sea salt. To serve, top with smoky pecan crumbs.
This can be made up to 4 hours ahead and kept at room temerpature. The burgled sprouts will further soften in this time. Top with pecan crumbs only when ready to eat.
TIP: To toast pecans: roast pecans in a 300˚F / 150˚C oven for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool before using.
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🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
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I already have half these ingredients, and the other half were already on my shopping list for this week. Sounds like it's meant to be!
Thanks for the recipes! I just ordered your book after hearing you interviewed on several podcasts and enjoying them so much.