BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH RICE PORRIDGE, SCALLION, PEANUT AND KOREAN CHILE FLAKES

Hearty comfort food at its finest, this rice porridge can be made year round but lends itself to cool days and winter produce. You can replace the Brussels sprouts with anything in the same family like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage. Using Korean chile flakes will give your dish a unique depth due to the fermentation process they undergo before drying, but you can absolutely substitute a medium-hot alternative if you have trouble tracking them down. Serve this dish as a family-style side or plated appetizer, or bulk it up with larger portions or the addition of braised meat or sausage to make it an easy entree. FOR THE PORRIDGE:

1 cup white rice, any variety will do 1 quart of water

1 tablespoon rice vinegar kosher salt and granulated sugar to

taste

FOR THE BRUSSELS SPROUTS: 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon, juiced and zested, keep

separately

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra to

taste

1 pound Brussels sprouts, cut into

quarters through the root 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1 cup peanuts, toasted and coarsely

chopped

1 tablespoon Korean chile flakes (look for coarse gochugaru, mediumhot, at any Asian grocery store – crushed red pepper flakes will work too, but use half as much) Canola oil, for frying

To make the porridge, bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a small saucepot with the rice vinegar, kosher salt and sugar. When the water boils, add the rice and stir. When the water resumes boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, until the rice is tender and the mixture resembles grits in thickness. Adjust seasoning as needed with salt, sugar and vinegar when the rice is done.

For the condiment:

In a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle, make a condiment with the green parts of the scallion by crushing them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon ice cold water, the zest of the lemon, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Adjust the seasoning as needed after making the condiment, which should look like a pesto in texture.

When the porridge is ready, to serve the final dish:

Heat the canola oil and fry the Brussels sprouts for 30-45 seconds until golden brown. Once cooked, transfer the sprouts to a mixing bowl and add the juice of the lemon, the scallions, scallion condiment and horseradish. Season with kosher salt and plate on the rice porridge in a shallow bowl, finishing the dish with the chopped peanuts and a pinch of good sea salt (Stieber recommends Maldon) and the Korean chile flakes. Serves: 4 as a family style side or appetizer.

Per serving: 467 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), 16 grams protein, 58 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fiber, 22 grams fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 618 milligrams sodium.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS BY MIA YAKEL