Every week I get an email from a local farmer-friend who provides fresh produce to his loyal customers during the winter months when there isn’t a Farmer’s Market available. Every week for the past several months, one of the items he has offered has been Brussel sprouts. I’ve been leery to try them just because they have such a bad reputation, but I finally threw caution to the wind and ordered some to see if I would like them.
I had no idea how to prepare them so I mentioned this on Facebook and a rather heated discussion ensued about how people like their Brussel sprouts (or don’t like them as was the case with several commenters). Seriously, click the link because it was a hilarious conversation. My favorite comment was from my friend Jodi who said she likes her brussels in the trash!
I never knew people could be so passionate about a vegetable. It was probably one of my most commented on posts on Facebook in a while. Because of those comments I got some great ideas on how to prepare my brussels. Here are the results of that experiment.
Because I like the taste of most roasted vegetables and because I didn’t want them to turn out soggy or slimy (my fear if I had steamed them as I have a tendency to get distracted and over-cook things when I steam them-eww) I decided to use the roasting method.
First, I just popped the brussels off of the stalk. I am sure there is a much more glamorous way of doing this, but my way worked fine. I then put them in a colander and gave them a good rinse. These were fresh, organic brussels so I was more worried about dirt than pesticides.
I didn’t realize one stalk would give me such a large amount. What a bargain! I meant to cut them in half, but forgot this step. To roast them, I simply laid them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil on top and sprinkled generously with sea salt and fresh, cracked pepper. Then I put them in the oven at 400 until they started to brown (roughly 8 minutes).
Voila! Don’t they look lovely? I paired my brussels with broiled wild-caught Pollock fillets. Yum!
(Yes, that’s a styrofoam plate. Yes, I know they are horrible for the environment. But what they aren’t horrible for is my sanity-anything that requires less work these days is pure money.)
Sure, they look good. But how do they taste? Like last week’s sweaty gym socks? I posed that question to some pretty tough critics.
Do I detect a smile?
Gimme s'more!
Two thumbs up, Mom!
More? Yes, please!
The vote was unanimous. Everyone liked them-so much so that 3 out of 5 of us went back for second helpings. That one stalk gave me enough for lunch leftovers the next day and they were great then too!
This might be my new favorite vegetable. My only regret is that I didn’t try them sooner. It seems Brussel sprout season has passed as my farmer hasn’t had any available the last two weeks. Boo. <– That’s me, pouting.
Where do you fall in the Brussel sprout debate-love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Do you have any other great ways to prepare brussels?
The Chick
I love to roast them as well. I use olive oil, seasoned salt and pepper.
I grew up hating Brussels sprouts, and many other veggies. After I learned how to cook on my own (after I was married), I discovered that the reason I disliked those veggies so much is because they were boiled until they changed colors and became slimy and disgusting. Now, I love all those veggies I always hated, as long as they are steamed, roasted or pan-fried. I really like tossing some chopped Brussels sprouts with olive oil and then pan fry and sprinkle with some cooked bacon.
Ok, so before this post, I was like “ooo brussel sprouts” *Cringe!* But they looked really yummy! I really wanna try them! Your kiddos are to cute and I am glad to see your little guy is feeling better!
Our family loves them roasted too.
For Thanksgiving I have a special brussels sprouts dish my dad LOVES. I shred them with the salad shooter (food processor would work too) and sauee them with shallots or onions. Then I add ground mustard seed and walnuts or pecans. Pine nuts if I’m feeling decadent but those have become wicked expensive. It’s so good!
I love them roasted best. Boiled in butter is nice if you don’t over boil them. They are not good when they are soggy. My Nephew calls them “punishment” – I guess he doesn’t really like them!
Honey, you are so brave!!!!! I could never get the brussel sprouts up past my nose and into my mouth without tossing my cookies! Of course, i did that a lot as a child. If it was green, so was I! I have not tried them as an adult (yes, dear, I am afraid). They still smell the same, as far as I know. Mom just boiled them, as far as I know. I also know I learned to eat veggies raw way before I would touch them cooked, and that was only with dip, too! I like many veggies now but have still never tried brussel sprouts again, nor asparagus for that matter. Maybe if my darling daughter roasted them for me, I might be tempted to try them, but NEVER anyone else! And your munchkin’s always eat anything! They are way ahead of their gram-ma. Keep up the great work. You may make a believer out of your old mother yet.
Wow, I love how you’re trying new things! So inspiring. I’ve been pretty good about trying new recipes, but haven’t braved too much on the vegetable front. I think I need to make a veggie goal for myself.
I don’t know if anyone mentioned it to you, but I saw this on a Food Network show…one reason people dislike Brussels sprouts is because, when overcooked, they release a sulfur-like smell and taste. Correctly-prepared Brussels sprouts are just fantastic!
If you found the bottoms to be a bit too hard, you can try preparing them thus: remove the darker outer leaves (the ones that are more or less loose already), then cut them in half and score the part of the stalk that is inside the bottom of the sprout. (The part that is removed in this pic is what I’m talking about: http://kitchenparade.com/uploaded_images/A-Veggie-Venture-How-to-Cut-Brussels-Sprouts-9-400-724681.JPG )
However you prepare them, they are delicious if cooked and seasoned correctly, and way healthier for you than many side dishes!
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