I’ve heard about the harvest-after-frost business and I honestly can’t tell the difference between pre and post-frost fresh brussels sprouts. Both are excellent.
For those who want more excitement in their lives, there are purple brussels sprouts varieties that you can grow.
Just don’t swallow the big ones* whole. We had a patient who needed to undergo a small bowel resection for obstruction awhile back, and he had a huge brussels sprout stuck in there. :eek:
*the small ones are very tasty.
Haven’t tried this yet but on one of the TV cooking shows I saw a tip that said to slice them prior to cooking and this will allow the release of a gas (sorry that I can’t be more speciific) that contributes the taste that some find unpleasant. That particular show I think they brushed them with olive oil, add seasoning and roasted them under a broiler.
I think the gross factor of brussel sprouts are twofold:
Frozen b-sprouts are kinda gross and canned ones are ghastly beyond belief. It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve ever seen fresh ones.
If you cook 'em by boiling them, they get slimy fast.
I like to cook a bunch of 'em in a skillet with just a piece or two of cut-up bacon to add to the flavor.
I love 'em. This is the first year I’m trying to grow my own. I’ve also heard they absolutely must be “touched by frost.” We’ll see.
I almost always slice them in half length-wise before cooking, but hadn’t heard that releases anything. I just figure they cook a bit more evenly that way.
I use my mandoline to shred them. Then I steam them till they’re just a little crisp. Then I sautee them very, very briefly in just a tiny bit of butter, with salt. Oh, how lovely.
Could someone be so kind as to describe the flavor of said sprouts to someone that’s always been too afraid to try them? I’ve always assumed that they tasted like little slimy cabbages.
I like 'em too. I even got my Brussels-sprouts-hating brother to enjoy some last Thanksgiving. Our recipe is sprouts and chestnuts in a bit of a maple glaze.
Well, roasted or grilled, they’re not slimy in the least. They’re kind of like a mild version of cabbage, but more dense. With this preparation they also have a slight nuttiness to them.
I like to pretend I am a giant eating whole cabbages.
I love Brussels sprouts. Even the frozen ones.
Shhh, do not tell anyone, but I love brussels sprouts so much I’ve been known to eat frozen ones right out of the freezer bag as a snack. It’s like a veggie popsicle. This is a fact I like to keep under my hat, though. A lot of people find it beyond horrifying.
Boil or steam, but they should still be al dente. There are all sorts of topics I don’t buy lissener’s opinion on, but that bacon fat, balsamic vinegar notion sounds filled with nommy sprouty goodness. You can also toss 'em with a little diced cooked bacon before serving up - round here we like 'em best with the Christmas (or Easter) turkey.
I grew my own a few years back. Stalks got covered with some kind of filthy little insect fuckers, but fresh-picked sprouts are worth a little trouble.
Try them with grated parmesan!
I never had them until I was about 20, and I found I like frozen ones. My oldest son loves them, but nobody else in my family does, so we rarely have them. I just microwave or steam them, add a little celery salt, and yum! I’ve never tried fresh, yet, because I’m cheap and lazy.
There goes the 50 dollars from the sperm bank this month…
Brussels sprout plants are to aphids what lightning rods are to lightning or white is to rice. But guess what? the solution is so fun that you’ll PRAY for aphids the next time you plant em. Live ladybugs! Ladybugs are the velociraptors of the aphid world, and you can get little net bags full of hundreds of them at your local garden store. So try your sprouts again, Mal. Plant the purple ones this time, K? And then bejewel them with ladybugs in the Spring. Win-win!
A lot of the cabbage family vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) have a reputation for tasting bad because they are boiled for too long. They are all pretty good roasted in the oven till the edges get a little brown or black.
I’ve helped “shuck” or “pluck” a huge garden fresh harvest of Brussels Sprouts at my friends house from some mighty stems. It is quite a high producer. I’ve always wondered if one could make use of the stem, as one of my favorite treats is the salted raw “heart” or stem of a cabbage? And, I also like to use the broccoli stems… I appreciate their texture.
I’m not sure how my friend’s Mom prepared them, but I know she made Pigs in the blanket with bacon, onions, sauerkraut and tomato sauce… Maybe those ingredients and some Italian or Danish cheese baked for a Brussels Sprout AuGratin. They would probably go great roasted in the jus along with a beef roast, some onions and carrots.
I’ve always wondered if they could somehow be converted to a vegetarian rumaki. Inztead of the chicken liver, use a brussels sprout, maybe a vegetarian oyster sauce glaze with a water chestnut. If you are an omnivore… maybe wrap the parboiled brussels sprout in bacon, with a water chestnut and toothpick, deep fry at 375F until the bacon is crisp and the outside of the sprout is dark brown and caramel. serve with some kind of miso dip.
Little baby ones, steamed and then tossed in butter with toasted almond slivers.
I think they are bitter, unless soaked in salt water for a bit, then they have a subtle, nutty flavor.
Mmmmm…little baby cabbages. Even Kid Kalhoun wolfed 'em down as a wee keebler. I like them with butter and pepper, or with a cheese sauce.