By The house closed on Tuesday, October 15. We are homeowners. James and I stood in the empty living room of the Wallingford Craftsman and looked at the hardwood floors and the empty rooms and the terrible kitchen and James said, "Welcome home." I said, "This isn't home yet." He said, "It will be." He is right. It is not home yet. Home is the condo where Hana was conceived and born and took her first steps (she hasn't taken them yet, but she will, and the condo hopes she takes them here, in this first place, before we leave). The Wallingford house is potential. The potential is enormous.
The kitchen renovation begins November 1. I have been meeting with the contractor — a Korean-American man named Brian who builds custom kitchens and who, when I described the fermenting station, said, "I built one of those for my mother's house in Federal Way." He showed me photos. The fermenting station was beautiful — three onggi pots on a custom shelf with temperature control and drainage. I said, "Brian. Build me that." He said, "I was hoping you'd say that."
Hana is ten months old. She has said her first word. The word is — and I am going to report this accurately, even though it wounds me — the word is "da-da." Not "ma-ma." "Da-da." She looked at James on Sunday morning. She pointed. She said, "da-da." James looked at me with the expression of a man who has just won a contest he claims doesn't exist. I said, "Congratulations." He said, "I didn't teach her that." I said, "You taught her that every night at 2 AM when you walked her around the living room saying 'dada dada dada' into her ear." He smiled. He was not apologetic. He was triumphant. Hana said "da-da" and James will bring this up at every family gathering for the next forty years. I accept this. I am waiting for "ma-ma." It will come. The ma-ma always comes.
The recipe this week is a harvest squash soup — roasted butternut squash, blended with sautéed onion and garlic and chicken stock and a pinch of gochugaru. Finished with a drizzle of sesame oil and toasted pumpkin seeds. The soup is fall in a bowl. The soup is the color of the maple tree in our new yard. We do not live in the house yet. But the maple tree is ours. The yard is ours. The terrible kitchen is ours and it is going to be magnificent. Everything that is terrible now is going to be magnificent later. This is the philosophy of renovation. This is the philosophy of life.
We don’t live in the Wallingford house yet, but the maple tree is already ours — and standing in that yard last weekend, looking at the leaves going red and gold and orange, I knew exactly what I wanted to cook. The squash soup I described above is for the stovetop; this roasted Brussels sprouts dish is for the sheet pan, for the days when the oven is doing the heavy lifting while you’re doing the unpacking. The cranberries and almonds give it the color of fall, the color of that maple, the color of everything that is just now beginning to be ours.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Almonds
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the sprouts. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Do not crowd the pan — use two sheets if needed.
- Roast. Roast for 18–22 minutes, until the cut sides are deeply caramelized and golden and the outer leaves are crisped. Resist stirring until the last 5 minutes.
- Toast the almonds. While the sprouts roast, add sliced almonds to a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat immediately.
- Finish and glaze. Whisk together the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl. When the sprouts come out of the oven, drizzle the glaze over them and toss gently on the pan.
- Add toppings and serve. Transfer to a serving platter. Scatter dried cranberries and toasted almonds over the top. Serve immediately while hot.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 220 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 220mg