Tag Archives: The World’s Greatest Gadgets

Veggie Pasta Made With The World’s Greatest 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler

Creating “pasta” made purely from raw vegetables started gaining momentum along with interest in raw food diets, and has grown in popularity as some seek out gluten-free, low-gluten, or low calorie alternatives to traditional pasta.

If you’re not familiar with raw veggie pasta, it is simply fresh, raw veggies like carrots, summer squash, (shown above) zucchini, as well as other vegetables, turned into strips or curls that resemble spaghetti shaped pasta noodles. There are some helpful tools available that turn these veggies into long spiral shaped pieces, and tools that leave the strips straight.

A great tool for making raw veggie pasta is a spiral slicer, such as the Benriner Cook Helper, if you are going for a curly veggie “noodle.” The Benriner is also a superb kitchen companion when creating a larger volume of veggie pasta, as it turns out a nice big pile of curled strips quickly.

A kitchen gadget that makes quick work of turning raw vegetables into veggie pasta strips, which might surprise you – the julienne peeler. We put our very own 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler to the veggie pasta making test…

First using the regular blade to remove the rough outer skin of a carrot…

The World’s Greatest 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler Removing Carrot Skin

Then turning the knob and flipping to the julienne blade to turn the inside of the carrot as well as a yellow crook neck summer squash into a mound of vegetable pasta goodness.

The World’s Greatest 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler Julienne Blade Making Veggie Pasta

The World’s Greatest 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler Julienne Blade Making Summer Squash into Veggie Pasta

Looking for the World’s Greatest™ 3-in-1 Rotational Tri-Blade Peeler? Find yours here and at fine gourmet kitchen shops nationwide.

Settings for regular peeling, soft veggies, and julienne peeling

Strips of Yellow Crook Neck Squash Turned into Veggie Pasta

What next? You can toss the strips into a skillet and warm them, plus top with the creamy sauce of your choice, like Alfredo, pesto, or marinara, for a warm “pasta’ dish. We kept ours simple, tossing the brightly colored carrot and yellow crook neck squash strips in 2 tbs. olive oil, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, a twist of fresh ground pepper, and a few pinches of sea salt, for a chilled salad. Combine, and eat! Delicious.

Veggie Pasta Made with a Julienne Peeler

Interested in HIC kitchenware for your restaurant or home? Contact Us.

Contributed by Nicole Herman, of HIC, Harold Import Co.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil

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Roasted Brussels sprouts with truffle oil. Beechwood spoon, made in France, and Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate, both from HIC.

Brussels sprouts – The consistently controversial vegetable. Most people fall into one of two camps here – you either love Brussels sprouts, or detest them. Whether it’s the smell, the texture, or the bad reputation they bear for being displeasing, many people just don’t embrace the Brussels sprout. The technique used in this recipe was passed along from a good friend, who has converted many previously averse, to become embracers of the veggie. What’s different in this recipe? It’s all about changing the texture – We’ll roast both whole and sliced Brussels sprouts together, achieving a mix of softer whole sprouts, and crunchier sliced bits. Love pancetta and cheese? You’re covered. Just scroll down to the “Variations” section at the bottom of this post.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed, but left whole
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmmed, sliced
2 tbsp. truffle oil
1/2 tsp. Himalayan sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Tools

Roasting Pan or Pie Plate (We used Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate, made by HIC and designed in partnership with legendary baker Rose Levy Beranbaum.)
Colander (We used HIC’s Essentials Stainless Steel Perforated Colander.)
Veggie Slicer and/or knife (We put The World’s Greatest™ Handy Dandy Super Slicer to the test, on our delicate, small Brussels sprouts. Available soon in kitchen shops nationwide. To be notified when it’s available, Contact Us.)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preparing the Brussels sprouts

First, rinse well.

Brussels sprouts rinsed in collander

Trim the excess stem at the bottom.

Cutting the Brussels sprout stem

Then, pull the extra rougher leaves off from around the outside of the Brussels sprout.

Peeling Brussels sprout leaves

Trim the stem a bit closer, and create a notch in the bottom. The notch aids in more even cooking.

Trim the Brussels sprout stem closely

Brussels spout with notch cut into the bottom

For this recipe we’re mixing both whole and sliced Brussels sprouts, because the smaller sliced pieces, as well as the bits that come off the sprout during the slicing process (don’t throw these out- put them in your roasting pan or pie plate) will become crunchier as they cook along side the whole sprouts, sopping up all of the truffle oil and collecting salt, adding savory flavor and variation in texture.

To prepare the sliced Brussels sprouts, first remove the stems and outside leaves, and cut the notch into the bottom. Then, cut in ¼-inch thick slices. We put The World’s Greatest™ Handy Dandy Super Slicer to work (To be notified when it’s available, Contact Us) which makes quick work of slicing any soft veggie or fruit in uniform widths, plus it locks in a closed position for drawer storage. To note, if you have tough or very large Brussels sprouts, opt for a knife. The Handy Dandy Super Slicer works well if you have small, delicate sprouts. A Chef’s knife is also a great choice.

Brussels sprout in The World’s Greatest Handy Dandy Super Slicer

Place both whole and sliced Brussels sprouts in a roasting pan or pie dish. In this recipe, we used Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate. Toss with 2 tbsp. truffle oil until the sprouts are well coated and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of Himalayan sea salt (you may prefer to add more to taste, after cooking) and a 1/2 tsp. or a few twists of fresh ground black pepper.

Brussels sprouts tossed with truffle oil and sea salt

Brussels sprouts in Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate, before roasting

Place the Brussels sprouts on the top rack of a 400-degree oven and cook for 20 minutes, then remove and stir so that the sprouts get coated with the truffle oil and salt that has migrated to the bottom of the pie plate. Put back in the 400 degree oven and cook for another 15 minutes, or until sprouts are browned. Note, the smaller pieces may brown more and have crunchier edges than the whole Brussels sprouts. The two compliment each other nicely.

Roasted Brussels sprouts with truffle oil and sea salt

Variations:

If you’d like to mix it up, here are a couple variations I’ve tried.

Use plain olive oil if you or your guests are not fond of truffles.

Toss in pancetta with the Brussels sprouts at the time roasting begins. This imparts a delicious flavor, and fills the kitchen with a wonderful aroma of cooking bacon.

Add nuts during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Slivered almonds, pine nuts, or pecans are all delicious, sprinkled on top.

Add a 1/2 cup of grated cheese, such as Grana Padano or Romano, 5 minutes before roasting time is up. Stir in, and roast for the remaining time.

Contributed by Nicole H., of HIC