Vegetize It! - Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin
Bacon is an ingredient that many meat eaters say is the thing that is keeping them from going fully vegetarian. It’s got so much great flavor and texture that makes is hard to replace in dishes. What I like to keep in mind is what role is the bacon playing. Is it adding smokiness? Is it adding umami? Is it adding texture? Knowing how bacon is being featured in a dish will change what approach I take to vegetizing it.
Fresh Food Storage
So, you go to the farmer’s market and buy a ton of fresh stuff, more than you think you might use. The next big question is how to store it so it lasts as long as possible. There are plenty of guides out there with more details, but here’s my broad strokes.
Preserving Food
Food waste is something I try very hard to avoid. My thought is that I paid money for these things, so I shouldn’t just throw it away. There are many different approaches I take, and I’ll go into each one in more detail in future posts, but here is my overall strategy.
The BLT is a tomato sandwich
I don’t have a ton to add on this topic, so I’m mostly going to link to other videos and articles, but I am a firm believer that a BLT is a tomato sandwich. Arguments will be made for bacon being the star of the show, but without an excellent tomato, the BLT is just going to fall flat.
Vegetable Stock
I can’t remember the last time I bought vegetable stock. I have been making homemade stock for almost 10 years and it’s just so much better than store bought.
Brassicas
I kind of thought that everyone knew cauliflower and broccoli was the same plant. And that they are also related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. But turns out that is not as common knowledge as I thought. In double-checking my internal assumptions, I found that the brassica family is even more diverse than I thought.