E4 MG EE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 , 2022
things pickled in the Washington
area is the fantastic Number 1
Sons.Pair with big flavors
If, even after the suggestions
above, you find yourself still
backing away slowly from the
flavor of cruciferous vegetables,
you know what? It’s okay to mask
it with other flavors! While you
don’t want to neutralize all the
nutritional benefits of the vegeta-
bles with loads of cream, butter
or cheese, strategic and re-
strained use of the right ingredi-
ents can help get you to some-
thing more appealing to your
taste or serve as an entry point. A
little bit of assertive cheese or a
couple strips of bacon can go a
long way. Blue cheese pairs very
well with broccoli or broccolini.
And while I wouldn’t make it the
only way to enjoy broccoli, if
every once in a while you want to
top it with some cheddar or fold
it into a creamy, classic broccoli
cheddar soup, go for it.
You don’t need to turn to fats,
either. Bold flavors come in all
kinds of forms. A hit of lemon
and chile flakes can bring new
appeal to roasted broccolini. And
the options are nearly endless:
Try thyme, turmeric, cumin,
smoked paprika, garam masala,
harissa, za’atar, sumac and ras al
hanout. Any of those would go
great with almost any roasted
vegetable.
[email protected]Recipes online
Ready to start cooking with c rucif-
erous vegetables? Below are just
a few of the recipes you can find
in our Recipe Finder at
washingtonpost.com/recipes:l (^) Kale, Clementine and
Hazelnut Salad
l (^) Shredded Kale Tr i-Color Salad
With Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette
l (^) Shredded Sprouts Slaw With
Gorgonzola + Hazelnuts
l (^) Roasted Cabbage Wedges With
Tomatoes and Chickpeas
l (^) Fr ied Brussels Sprouts With
Paprika-Spiked Dipping Sauce
l (^) Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
l (^) Turmeric Pickled Cauliflower
l (^) Broccolini Salad With
Gorgonzola and Pistachios
l (^) Cabbage With Crispy Bacon
l (^) Creamy Broccoli and Bacon
Salad
l (^) Broccoli Cheddar Soup
l (^) Roasted Broccolini With
Lemon and Chile Flakes
l (^) Mediterranean Cauliflower
Platter
l (^) Tandoori Cauliflower
overcooking, which produces a
sulfurous odor.” When uncooked,
cruciferous vegetables can be
mild and even sweet.
You may enjoy cauliflower and
broccoli in something as simple
as crudités, dunked in ranch
dressing, a yogurt dip, hummus,
muhammara, aioli or even a
smoky black bean dip.
A massaged kale salad will give
you “tender texture, quick turn-
around time, and no loss of
micronutrients,” Abra Berens
says in “Ruffage: A Practical
Guide to Vegetables.” Plus, the
work of rubbing a dressing into
the kale will impart lots of flavor
that’s evenly distributed. If you’re
still concerned about masticating
large leaves of kale, it’s totally
okay to shred it, which also
makes it easy to mix in with other
shredded vegetables.
Raw Brussels sprouts work
very well shredded in salads, too.
If you’re still wary of the sulfu-
rous smell, Nik Sharma notes in
the “The Flavor Equation” that
you can submerge cut or shred-
ded sprouts in ice-cold water
first. Speaking of slaws, there’s
always coleslaw and other cab-
bage slaws, which can be light,
refreshing and crisp, especially
when a punchy dressing is at the
forefront.
Use high heat
If you prefer your vegetables
with a little less bite than raw,
consider going the opposite di-
rection and giving them a q uick
run under or over high heat.
“Charring works well with
sprouts and cabbages because it
softens texture, caramelizes sug-
ars and neutralizes bitter-tasting
compounds,” Christopher Kim-
ball writes in “Milk Street Vegeta-
bles.” With the more intense heat,
you get all those benefits in a
short period of time, reducing the
likelihood you’ll overcook crucif-
erous vegetables to the point that
they’re unpalatable.
You have a number of options
CRUCIFEROUS FROM E1
You can
take the
brash out
of brassicas
also a good move.
Pickle them
Good news from McGee:
“When cabbages and their rela-
tives are fermented to make sau-
erkraut or other pickles, nearly
all of the flavor precursors and
their products are transformed
into less bitter, less pungent sub-
stances.”
Pickling is pretty easy, but if
you don’t want to do it yourself,
you’ll find a wide variety of
store-bought options out there,
including sauerkraut, kimchi
and giardiniera. My pick for all
nutritional yeast.
Frying and steaming are two
other methods that deliver an
intense amount of heat in a short
period of time and, when done
properly, let you avoid the pitfalls
of overcooking. Quick steaming
is another go-to strategy of mine.
I tend to steam a lot in my Instant
Pot, but you can also do it with a
little water, wine or broth in a
covered skillet or in the more
traditional steamer basket set
over a pot of simmering water.
And don’t overlook the micro-
wave.
A quick saute in a hot skillet is
sure to leave plenty of space
between whatever florets, pieces
or leaves you’re cooking, so you
avoid steaming rather than roast-
ing. Berens notes that slightly
larger pieces of cauliflower will
get you a nicely crunchy exterior
without the interior turning to
mush. Kale avoiders may be con-
verted by baked kale chips.
“Don’t be scared of brown
leaves!” Berens says. “You are
looking for shatteringly crispy
‘chips.’ ” I like mine plain with
salt, but you can dress them up
with any number of adornments,
including red pepper flakes and
for taking advantage of high heat.
In warmer weather or if you’re
someone who cooks outside no
matter the season, consider grill-
ing. Berens is a particular fan of
grilling cabbage, but in winter,
she pivots to searing wedges in a
hot frying pan. The broiler is
another solution.
Inside, my go-to strategy is
high-temperature roasting, any-
where from 400 to 500 degrees,
though I tend to favor the upper
edge of the range. High-heat
roasting gets you the benefit of
crispy edges quickly so that you
don’t overcook the insides. Be
SCOTT SUCHMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
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