Last Friday, I spent an entire day eating my way through the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, where hundreds of chefs and food professionals from across the country converged on St. Helena for the three-day Worlds of Flavor conference. This year, the 12^th annual conference was dedicated  to the deliciously democratic – and affordable – street  foods of the world.

    From Indian Chaat Papri to Fresh Corn Tamales,  we all did some heavy lifting with our forks and chopsticks in the name of “important research.” Still memorable from the lunch were the melt-in-your-mouth chunks of Veal Cheek Sate from Western Sumatra and the Harissa Honey Eggplant with Shrimp.  

       Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s street food from his native Hiroshima –  a savory pancake topped with grilled cabbage, kelp and a fried egg – was the highlight of the massive walk-around tasting in the evening, along with the Burrata from Apulia and the Hue Beef Vermicelli Soup from chef Mai Pham of Sacramento.

       During an afternoon seminar, Vietnamese chef  Charles Phan of The Slanted Door in San Francisco demonstrated this simple dish as an example of seasonal, farm-to-table cooking you can pull off at home.  Brussels sprouts, which are at the peak of season right now, are delicious when caramelized in a hot wok. The cruciferous veggies are  also high in iron and vitamins A and C.

 Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts with Gulf Shrimp

Makes 2 to 4 portions

 ½ pound Brussels sprouts

8 Gulf shrimp, headless

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon canola oil

Pinch salt

4 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon chicken stock

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Take the leaves off  the cleaned Brussels sprouts by trimming off the bottom end, then cut the sprout in half, core and pull apart the leaves. Set aside.

Clean and halve the shrimp lengthwise. Sprinkle with the cornstarch, canola oil and salt. Mix gently.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or sauté pan on high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook and stir until the shrimp changes color. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Clean the pan. Heat the pan on high heat and then add 2 tablespoons of canola oil. When it begins to smoke, add the garlic, then the Brussels sprouts. Stir and cook. Deglaze with the rice wine. Continue to cook and stir. Add the chicken stock and fish sauce. Add back the shrimp. Continue to cook and stir until the Brussels sprouts are tender and the shrimp is cooked through. Serve immediately.