Brussel Sprout Carbonara

 

Brussel sprouts and bacon... Are you lovers from opposite families, a la Romeo and Juliet? Are you unlikely partners like Starsky and Hutch, one straight laced, one a little wild, but both focused on getting the job done? Are you soul mates, destined to be together no matter the obstacle? Whatever you are, you work beautifully together! A simple Italian dish that relies heavily on the inclusion of bacon is pasta carbonara. I decided to bring in bacon's old friend brussel sprouts into this classic dish to make for a fun twist on a classic dish. The result was a colorful and flavorful pasta dish that was as fun to make as it was to eat.

A Healthy and Inspired Breakfast

Inspiration for a good meal can come from anywhere. I will often look at recipes or menus to get ideas for the things I cook. Sometimes I will just come up with something out of the blue or figure out a meal from a conversation with someone about cooking. One of my favorite sources of inspiration for meals is when I eat something at a restaurant that I enjoy and then try to recreate it in my kitchen. In the East Village, there is a restaurant called Northern Spy Food Co. It's a small rustic space with a fresh and imaginative American menu. I've eaten there a number of times, and I'm particularly partial to their brunch. They have one dish that is a kale salad with squash, cheddar, and eggs. I love kale, and this salad always catches my eye. I decided to do a take on a kale salad with eggs for breakfast, inspired by the dish at Northern Spy.

A Breakfast Standard With a Savory Twist

Sometimes you can take standard dishes, tweak them a little bit, and they become something totally different. French Toast is a weekend brunch standard that is normally on the sweet side of things along with pancakes, waffles, and pastries. I'm usually a savory brunch kind of guy, so I decided to take what is normally sweet, and bring it to the other side.

Empty Fridge? Breakfast Challenge!!!

Sunday morning: Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to create a delicious breakfast using only the food currently in your kitchen. Your available supplies include: 4 eggs, polenta, parmesan, celery, garlic, herbs, tomato sauce, bacon. Good luck!
With only the above ingredients, I was able to make the following brunch:

I started by braising the celery. I sliced it and then sauteed it in a saucepan until starting to brighten in color. I then added the garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. After about a minute, I put enough water to cover the celery, added some salt and pepper, and let it braise for about 15 minutes. While the celery braised, I made some creamy parmesan polenta. Once the braising liquid was almost cooked off, I added some tomato paste, mixed, and then added tomato sauce, parsley, and basil. I let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, cooked some bacon, and baked the eggs in the oven for 10 minutes.
Once everything was done, I plated the dish and enjoyed a successful breakfast challenge!