Seriously.
I’ve always heard about the nasty, slimy, gross qualities that people attribute to brussel sprouts, but I am honestly puzzled by this reaction.
Tonight, I parboiled some of the suckers, added them to a pan with some frying garlic and shallots, added some sherry, and then topped it off with some balsamic vinegar off the heat. Accompanied with some slices of fresh homemade bread, I was in heaven.
Share your recipes! All brussel sprout haters can kindly wander over to The Pit.
I don’t have any recipes, but damn brussels sprouts are awesome! I like them plain and steamed, as freshly picked as possible.
I like them but they are so small they are VERY easy to overcook and spoil. I think a lot of people have eaten overcooked mushy brussel sprouts and that has biased their opinion…
I don’t believe I’ve ever had a brussel sprout. But everything I hear about them is either love or hate.
Man, I love Brussels sprouts. Two best ways: oven roasted, dipped in chipotle whipped cream; and blackened in an iron frypan with bacon fat, cooled with sizzing with balsamic vinegar.
I loved them to distraction when I was a kid and then one day, for no reason, I absolutely didn’t love them anymore. They were just bitter and gross, and I didn’t eat them again for years. And then, happy day, about a year ago, I bought some nice big fresh sprouts and the love affair has been renewed. I like them steamed until just tender and dressed with a little butter and salt.
I love those things!
The last time I went to the buffet, I picked some up; someone walked by and exclaimed incredulously, “People really eat those?!?” I replied, “If I count as ‘people,’ yes.”
I’ve always like them, but recently we went to a restaurant with a brussel sprout salad made with bacon, and we’ve been cooking them that way - delicious. I grew them when I lived in Louisiana very successfully, but a recent attempt failed miserably.
Frozen Sprouts Brussels are absolutely disgusting. I’ve heard fresh cooked right are good. But frozen are so vile that I won’t bother finding out.
My favorite way of eating Brussels sprouts is cooked, cooled, cut in half and added to a salad. They’re also great in soup. Or just plain, with a little olive oil and garlic.
Of course fresh is the best. But frozen is passable if you take care not to overcook them, as most people do.
I boil them til just tender then heat up butter in a large pan til it foams, add chopped shallots, and then add the drained sprouts with a ton of salt and pepper.
Here’s another variation:
Get your Brussels sprouts. Cut all but the small ones in half.
Dice enough onion (one large onion at minimum).
Dice some meaty bacon (I like shoulder bacon).
Put a large saute pan on the stove, add water, let it boil.
Dump in the sprouts, blanch till bright green and barely turning soft.
Pour the sprouts in a colander and set aside.
Put the saute pan back on the heat, but turn the heat down a bit.
Dump in some olive oil and/or butter.
Dump in the onion and bacon, cook till the onion starts to caramelize.
Dump the sprouts back in the saute pan, mix, add more olive oil or butter if necessary.
Add salt & pepper to taste (it may take more than you expect)
Crank the heat to high and saute, stirring regularly, till the sprouts are cooked to taste. There will probably be a bunch of water trapped in the sprouts from the blanching, and you want to cook this off. Don’t be surprised if you need to add some more oil too (hey, it’s olive oil–it’s good for you anyway)
Adjust seasonings if necessary, then serve.
From the Washington Post (there are a bunch more on their website):
Warm Orange-Ginger Brussels Sprout Slaw
The Washington Post, February 15, 2006
· Cuisine: American
· Course: Side Dish
· Features: Fast, Meatless
Summary:
A friend of Stephanie Witt Sedgwick’s who thought she didn’t like Brussels sprouts was won over by a suggestion from Park Hyatt executive chef Brian McBride. He shredded the sprouts as you would a cabbage for slaw and then sautéed them with ginger and orange. She never made it for Stephanie, but the technique and combination of ingredients stayed on her to-do list.
When she got around to making her own version, she was wowed: “It’s like a slaw but better. The Brussels sprouts give it a more delicate quality. The orange and ginger flavors really pop, and there’s not a hint of the old-fashioned, cooked-to-death sprouts in this dish.”
6 servings
Ingredients:
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, stems trimmed, either shredded in a food processor or cut in half and thinly sliced
· 1 -inch piece ginger root, peeled and finely grated
· 1 orange, grated zest and juice
· Salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 2 to 3 tablespoons water (optional)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shredded sprouts and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, orange zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring, until the sprouts are just cooked, 4 to 5 minutes. If the pan gets dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Serve immediately.
I don’t have any recipes, but I always stick up for the humble brussels sprout. Tasty!
I agree that the problem is too many people only ever eat them heavily overcooked.
Wow. If the OP likes them parboiled, they’ve really got to try it roasted. Roasted brussel sprouts are among my favorite veggies. Toss them with olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper (and garlic if you like), roast in a 400-425 degree oven for 30-40 minutes and nomnomnom. Absolutely delicious.
and thats part of what makes them so healthy for you.
We grill them.
Toss about a pound of Brussle sprouts with 1-2 tbls olive oil, a few cloves of chopped garlic, and some salt and pepper.
Cook on a very hot grill until outer leaves are completely blackened.
Remove the outer burnt leaves and eat. Really easy, really good.
Also, do the same thing with cauliflower. Should look burnt by the time you take it off the grill. Best ever.
We grill them too. I split them in half lengthwise, then thread them onto kabobs from the stem end. Brush with melted butter mixed with chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Grill until bright green and the leaves are just starting to char, flipping halfway through.
Sprouts grow as buds on a tall stalk. If you grow your own here is one hint: Wait until after the first frost to pick them. The frost seem to eliminate the bitterness that is many people’s objection to these things. Frost brings out the natural sweet taste. With just salt and butter and steamed or lightly boiled they are a tremendous side dish, nothing like boiled cabbage.