# brussel sprouts and deliciousness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202 "2004-11-17T04:46:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/21 "2004-11-17T15:07:32Z")
> [@buncombe](#): > > you see why I’m scared? So many people think brussel sprouts are disgusting. Yet I am charged with making them taste good for the family. That was my girl’s idea. Thaaaanks, honey. Oh, that’s no problem. People who hate brussles sprouts will always hate them, and hopefully won’t eat them so those of us who just adore the little cuties will have more to eat! There are never enough, you know. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/22 "2004-11-17T15:13:50Z")
I loves me some brussel sprouts. People seem to rave about my particular way of doing them, and for me a plate of these plus some garlic mashed potatoes makes a whole meal. Here’s the recipe: 1 slice onion (sweet onion preferred), 1 slice red bell pepper, both finely chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 1/2-1 lb brussel sprouts 2 tablespoons soy sauce Heat up the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sautee the onion and red bell pepper for about five minutes, adding the garlic toward the end. Makes sure nothing burns. Set the sauteed veg. aside. Add a quarter inch of water, the soy sauce and the sprouts to the saucepan, then cover and bring to a slow boil. Cook the sprouts for about ten minutes, or until just at the point where their color changes from bright to dull green. Two minutes or so prior to the end of cooking, return the sauteed veg to the pan. Serve immediately. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/23 "2004-11-17T15:42:19Z")
My favorite way to eat brussel sprouts is steamed, then served with cheese sauce. Just a basic white sauce with tons of sharp cheddar. So good. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/24 "2004-11-17T15:48:36Z")
Whatever you do, don’t allow the Devil’s tennisballs to touch any of the other food offered! Let the people who have no tastebuds sup on the vile things, but keep them away from real food, lest they contaminate everything! 😃 Brussel Sprouts…\. Although **El\_Kabong’s** recipe sounds interesting… ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/25 "2004-11-17T19:03:54Z")
I’ve always hated brussel sprouts too. But then I saw a recipe that had you adding a bit of nutmeg to them. I tried that, and ended up actually enjoying them. Of course now I can’t find the recipe. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/26 "2004-11-17T19:12:29Z")
I always cut my brussel sprouts in half, they are a little less brain-like that way, some people are intimidated by that. Then I steam them, and top with japanese ginger dressing. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/27 "2004-11-17T19:27:10Z")
Simple route is butter and bread crumbs on top… And if yer making turnips, mash em with heavy cream and butter (instead of milk and mergerine). ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/28 "2004-11-17T20:18:06Z")
I like to cut them in half and roast them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and balsamic vinegar. All of you vomiters in here are being unspeakably rude. Would you make gagging noises in public? Would you like someone else to gag at what’s on your plate? ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/29 "2004-11-17T20:33:51Z")
There are some things I loved as a child, and hate as an adult. (Balonga tops that list. Ick!) There are things I hated as a child, and love as an adult. (Swiss cheese, brie, most types of seafood). The _only_ food I have hated my _entire_ life is brussels sprouts. I love other strong-tasting greens, like endive and escarole, so it’s not the bitterness. But there’s something about brussels sprouts that tastes like spoiled greenery to me. Considering the many foods I disliked as a child that I have grown to love, I keep trying brussels sprouts to see if I have suddenly begun liking them. If I see a recipe that looks appealing, I give it a shot. (I am eyeing **El\_Kabong’s**.) If I see them on a restaurant menu, I _always_ try them to see of the professionals know some Mystical Secret of Brussels Sprout Yumminess. So far, no luck, but maybe some day . . . So a someone who dislikes brussels sprouts, I can tell you that the least objectionable presentation is when they are covered in a nice, thick cheese sauce. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/30 "2004-11-17T20:46:20Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > So a someone who dislikes brussels sprouts, I can tell you that the least objectionable presentation is when they are covered in a nice, thick cheese sauce. With enough garlic and cheese sauce, \*\*anything \*\* is edible! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/31 "2004-11-17T20:55:35Z")
Oh, and if you get to pick out the Brussels sprouts, choose small, very green ones. If you can get [Brussels sprouts on the stalk](http://www.theproducehunter.com/productdisplay.asp?ID=2159), do. If you do get a stalk, don’t eat the large Brussels sprouts on the end of the stalk. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/32 "2004-11-17T21:21:46Z")
Agree on the advice not to overcook until soft. A little al dente is good. There is also a huge difference between the steroid-swollen monster balls you get at the supermarket, and the small, firm juicy sprouts grown in your garden. Cook up some of the latter (before or after frost, the supposed frost-induced improvement in flavor has never been noticeable for me), add butter, and you have one of the tastiest vegetables possible. Which reminds me to add them to our Thanksgiving menu (there should be quite a few left on the plants in the garden, which are very hardy). What in tarnation is a thread on cooking brussels sprouts doing in this forum? Did Alec Baldwin issue a statement on the subject??? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/33 "2004-11-17T21:32:15Z")
Since it’s for Thanksgiving, you might try one of the fancy recipes combining them with chestnuts, which are also available right now. Here’s one: [http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0197/brusprot.html](http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0197/brusprot.html) I’ve always liked them, especially with rich meat dishes, but I do wish it were easier to find normal-sized ones. When did these green tennis balls start appearing, and why? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/34 "2004-11-17T21:38:42Z")
> [@](#): > > brussel sprouts and deliciousness? I’ll take _Oxymorons_ for $200, Alex. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/35 "2004-11-17T21:52:36Z")
Well, mrAru and I like them =) Pick over the bin of sprouts and take all the little ones that the idiots pass up for the huge nasty ones 😃 Take them home, cut them into halves, steam them with waterhtat has some balsamic vinegar in it. Lightly, jut to about half done. Place cut side up, drizzle some of the ‘house’ dressing [good seasons zesty italian dressing made with balsamic vinegar and olive oil] and roast until just aldente and starting to carmelize, is _great_ if you have pearl onions of about the same size, also cut in half, partially cooked and roasted at the same time. Is nice to turn potatoes into same sized ‘olives’ and dress and roast them all together. _damn_ now I am getting hungry, and all we have is the onions and potatoes=( Goes well with a nice whole roast chicken, and is nice along with a chateaubriand for 2=) ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/36 "2004-11-17T21:54:13Z")
> [@Cowgirl Jules](#): > > I like to cut them in half and roast them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and balsamic vinegar. That sounds a lot like the Whole Foods recipe. Can you give me more particulars? I’d love to try making my own (so I don’t have to pay $6 a pound for 'em) and I’m a novice cook. How much olive oil, etc.? How long and at what temp do you roast 'em? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/37 "2004-11-17T21:56:02Z")
Here’s one I’m remembering (I hope correctly) from a French “home-cooking” recipe book: Trim the bases and remove the outer leaves from a couple of pounds of small, hard, bright green brussels sprouts. Chop them roughly and cook them in boiling salted water until they are about half-cooked and still a little crunchy. Drain them well and toss them in a big bowl with a cup of cream, a shake of salt and pepper, a couple of big pats of butter and a couple of crumbled crisp bacon slices. Turn the whole mass into a buttered baking dish, top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 until the whole dish is bubbling and the crumbs are browned. I made this just once and Mr. Pug is still begging for me to make it again. Now that brussels sprouts are at their prime, I might have to make one this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/38 "2004-11-17T21:58:35Z")
Go to the supermarket. Buy brussels sprouts in cheese sauce put out by, I think, Bird’s Eye. Because the effort you’ll go to to make them appealing for those who will never find them appealing will annoy you. And those of us who love them would love them even if they are disgusting. And really, what could be disgusting when covered in a cheese sauce? (Please please please no one answer that very rhetorical question!) ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/39 "2004-11-17T22:05:47Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > That sounds a lot like the Whole Foods recipe. Can you give me more particulars? I’d love to try making my own (so I don’t have to pay $6 a pound for 'em) and I’m a novice cook. How much olive oil, etc.? How long and at what temp do you roast 'em? Thanks. Oh, wow, I never measured anything. I just put enough oil in the bottom of a roasting pan to lightly coat the sprouts when I swish them around. I jsut throw the salt & pepper over the top, and drizzle balsamico on it. I’m pretty casual with the times and temps too - it’s not like baking. Try 350 for half an hour (less if you parboil them) and give them a poke to see how they’re doing. I like mine to have kind of crispy edges. BTW, this is good for cabbage too. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_C.Mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@Chad\_C.Mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_C.Mulligan)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202/40 "2004-11-18T05:45:03Z")
I’m with **Archergal** , it’s all about the nutmeg, people. And please, no boiling the sprouts. A double boiler is where it’s at. Steam those little gems so they stay nice and green and firm and don’t go all mushy. And make to make too many Brussels Sprouts, mashed potatoes, and braised leeks so that next morning when you emerge from your turkey coma, you can make Bubble and Squeek: coarsely chop and combine named ingredients. Put cast iron skillet on medium low. Melt large quantity of butter. Add mooshed ingredients. Cook very slowly, pressing with a spatula occasionally. Turn once and only once. Grind with fresh salt and pepper. Eat and die of congestive heart failure. But die happy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brussel-sprouts-and-deliciousness/275202.md?page=3)