Brussels sprouts, eggplant and offal meats — they’re foods some people never stopped hating after growing out of the picky-eater phase.
But when cooked correctly, these foods can be quite tasty, says Get Cooking chef and CBC food columnist Doreen Prei.
“There’s always ingredients you don’t really want to approach and you don’t want to cook with them, but you have to stay positive,” she told CBC’s Radio Active Thursday.
CBC listeners shared their least favourite ingredients with the Radio Active team last week. It’s a long list, but Prei narrowed it down to three.
The chef shared some of her favourite Get Cooking recipes for making mouthwatering meals out of foods that some find offensive.
Eggplant can be edible
The tough skin of the eggplant is what turns a lot of people off of this food because it soaks up cooking oils, Prei said.
“You end up with a very leathery outside and a very, very … oily inside.”
Eggplant can be unappealing because of its tough skin, chef Doreen Prei says. (Paul Richards/AFP/Getty Images)
The key to avoiding that stomach-turning texture is roasting the eggplant and removing the skin, like in this baba ganoush recipe.
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients:
- 1-2 eggplants, depending on size
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp tahini, or to taste
- cilantro leaves, chopped
- salt and black pepper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Roast the eggplant for 45 minutes to an hour, until soft.
- Allow to cool briefly before peeling, then allow the eggplant flesh to drain in a colander for 20 minutes.
- Roughly chop the eggplant and place it in a food processor with garlic, tahini, cumin and lemon juice.
- Pulse to combine, then with the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve at room temperature, garnished with the chopped cilantro.
Offal meats might not be so awful
Thoroughly rinsing offal meats can help get rid of the smell, says food columnist Doreen Prei. (Felicity Cloake)
Chicken breast, ground beef and steak are supermarket staples, but organ meats aren’t nearly as popular.
The thought of eating cow tongue or lamb liver can be intimidating, and Prei says the smell of these meats doesn’t make them any more appealing.
“No matter what you do, you rinse them in water for a long, long time,” she says. That should help with the smell.
Prei recommends a lamb liver paté for people who don’t usually eat offal meats.
Lamb Liver Paté
Ingredients:
- 200 g lamb liver
- 100 g foie gras, cleaned
- 30 ml brandy
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 60 g butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh thyme
Method:
- Sauté shallots in butter over medium heat in a frying pan.
- Add lamb liver and season with salt and pepper then de-glaze with brandy and cook until tender.
- Place the foie gras in a Thermomix (an appliance that blends while heating) and cook at 150 F with a little water. If you don’t have a Thermomix, wrap the foie gras in plastic wrap and poach gently to 150 F.
- Add the lamb mix and the fresh thyme and blend until smooth.
- Check seasoning and serve.
Big flavour in little sprouts
Brussels sprouts aren’t a very popular vegetable, but chef Doreen Prei says proper preparation can make these tiny cabbages more appealing to picky eaters. (Shutterstock)
Brussels sprouts are vegetables that can get pushed to the side of people’s plates, but Prei says they don’t have to be.
Instead of serving the tiny cabbages as is, try using the leaves or cutting them in half, and then add a dressing for flavour.
Brussels Sprouts with Beetroot Dressing
Ingredients:
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, washed and halved
- 6 beetroots, juiced and reduced by half (skim as you reduce)
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 100 ml olive oil
- 75 g butter
- salt to taste
- toasted pine nuts (optional)
Method:
- In a blender, combine the cooled beet juice reduction with the balsamic vinegar, then drizzle in the olive oil to make an emulsified dressing. Season to taste with salt.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a wide pan until it shimmers, then add the brussels sprouts and sauté, seasoning with salt until golden but still al dente.
- Transfer to a bowl and toss with the beet dressing.
- Serve finished with pine nuts, if you choose.
Doreen Prei is on Radio Active every Thursday at 4:40 p.m.
Listen to Radio Active with host Portia Clark, weekday afternoons on CBC Radio One, 93.9 FM/740 AM in Edmonton. Follow the show on Twitter: @CBCRadioActive.