Every time I go home, LA, I usually make a meal for the family. Sometimes I incorporate what I have learn about cooking and most of the time tried to out-do the last time. Well this most recent meal I went with lamb shanks and decided to braise them. Braising is great because you can leave it sitting on the stove for hours and the end results, hopefully, will yield a great hearty dish. This time I also decided to NOT use any recipes but just in case I did look at a few for guides. Especially how long I was suppose to cook collard greens. I had no idea it takes that long. Also I wanted to make grits to go with the heartiness of lamb shanks. I never made grits before but it looked simple enough. 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of grits, okay.

The couple of times that I made lamb shanks I always ended up buying tiny shanks. Where were all the big pieces that I see at restaurants? Anyways, lucky for me my local grocery store had those caveman sized shanks! I bought 5.

Here’s what I did that night.

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If I have to sum up 2009, I would say that this year was filled with street food and pizza. We attempted to make our own, Howard practically tried almost all of the pizza places, Wisconsin pizza, and then there was our semi-failed Brooklyn pizza tour. During our mini Brooklyn pizza tour I got the chance to go to Roberta’s. Currently it’s Howard’s favorite place.

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I know I’ve written about Brussels sprouts before, but these on-stalk sprouts at the Union Square Greenmarket were too good to pass up. Some people don’t like the bitter flavor, but these mini cabbages really do it for me. Recently I made a dish from a recipe sent to me by my mom that combined Brussels sprouts with apricots and nuts — the contrast between sweet and salty, as well as the texture contrasts, really made the dish.

I love Brussels sprouts. In addition to their delicious, concentrated cabbage-y goodness, the thing I like most about them is that a single one is called a Brussels sprout so it sounds kind of plural. I’ve had my share of overcooked sprouts, and the smell of them still makes me gag, but when cook correctly they are truly amazing. Sometimes I boil them for just a minute in heavily salted water, but the best way to enjoy them is so oil them up, douse them with salt and pepper, and then roast them in the oven until golden brown. Tell me this isn’t the most beautiful Brussels sprout you’ve ever seen: