You know, Brussels sprouts really aren't that bad

Cafe Society
1

In an attempt to get more fruit and veg into our diet, my wife and I discovered Brussels sprouts.

Both of us essentially spent our entire lives avoiding these vegetables, subscribing to the notion that they’re slimy and gross. I suppose that may be true if you boil them, but what vegetable doesn’t get slimy and gross when you boil the crap out of it? We’ve only had them a few times now but roasting them with a little salt makes them taste pretty good.

Anyone else cooking up these guys? Anyone have an interesting way to prepare them?

2

I hated them, but it turns out my mother just cooked them wrong (steamed whole until awful). You have to cut them in half, and not overdo the cooking.

Broiled, drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and cracked pepper is nice. Adding bacon fat cuts the bitterness, and adds bacon flavor (actual little bits of bacon is recommended, but optional).

The best way, and almost the only way I cook them, is Alton Brown’s recipe featuring blue cheese, bacon, and apple slices. Yummy yummy.

3

EVIL!!

4

Most people who don’t like brussel sprouts are only familiar with the frozen ones that are then boiled to death.

I’ve had success with all of these:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic
Summary:

Overcooked Brussels sprouts have given the vegetable a bad rap. Roasting the sprouts minimizes the cabbage flavor so many people dislike. Not only is the cabbage flavor of this dish almost nonexistent, but it’s fast and easy to prepare.

6 servings

Ingredients:

· 1 to 1 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and stems trimmed, each cut in half

· 8 to 10 small to medium cloves garlic

· 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

· Salt

· Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts, garlic, oil and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to make sure the sprouts are evenly coated. Transfer to a roasting pan large enough to hold the sprouts in one layer.

Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring at the 10- and 20-minute marks. The sprouts are ready when they have started to brown and are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.

Braised Brussels Sprouts
The Washington Post, February 15, 2006

Summary:

This is Stephanie Witt Sedgwick’s hands-down favorite way to cook them. This method gives Brussels sprouts an almost-melting quality. Bacon imparts a smoky flavor here, but it’s not essential; the bacon may be replaced with a tablespoon or two of oil.

6 servings

Ingredients:

· 1/4 pound bacon, diced

· 1/2 cup chopped onion

· 1 to 1 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and stems trimmed, each cut in half

· 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

· Pinch sugar

· Salt

· Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a pan large enough to eventually hold all of the Brussels sprouts, cook the bacon over medium heat until the bacon releases its fat, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring every minute or so, until it is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the sprouts, stock or broth, sugar and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Allow the sprouts to cook slowly until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high and bring the stock or broth back to a boil. Cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Serve immediately, or cover and keep warm until ready.

Warm Orange-Ginger Brussels Sprout Slaw
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

5

Grilled with bacon. Yummy!

I love sprouts.

6

Well, somebody has to like them, or they wouldn’t be inflicted on the rest of us.

7

I thought I hated brussel sprouts until a couple of years ago when I started roasting them, usually with bacon, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Now I make them once or twice a week, and it’s really like I’m almost addicted to them- they are so delicious.

8

The best quick way to cook Brussels sprouts is to steam them over boiling water unless just tender, serve with a little butter or margarine and salt. Excellent.

I also make them sauteed with garlic, peppers and whatever else is handy.

I recently made the mistake of getting them as a side dish at one of the hospitals I work at. They had been boiled, much overcooked and were mushy and tasteless. Avoid such things at all costs.

We’ve had a very good Brussels sprouts harvest this year - I’m still eating the proceeds (I picked them well into January, and there should be a few more out there for when I’m done with the current batch in the fridge). Only a few weeks until I plant the seeds indoors for next season’s crop…

9

Brussel Sprouts have always been my favorite green veggie. I guess I was a weird kid. Little has changed, but that’s another story.

10

My missus and I make Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Maple-Glazed-Brussels-Sprouts-with-Chestnuts-15535) for Thanksgiving most years. My family loves them.

Yeah, I know, add enough maple syrup to anything and it tastes good. But this recipe is a nice savory/sweet balance, not just drowning out the sprouts. We usually use the chestnuts in a jar you can get in international food stores or larger supermarkets.

11

I liked them roasted, steamed with butter and steamed until tender then pureed with butter and coriander.

The kid hated them in any form, even though she loves her veggies in general. It might be time to reintroduce them.

12

We’ve always liked them (I grew them when we lived in Louisiana) but we grew to live them when we had a Brussels Sprout salad at an Italian restaurant (with bacon, of course.) Now we make them all the time. And the steam in a bag frozen sprouts are pretty good also, just with butter.

Yeah, they are awful when you cook the hell out of them, but so are all other veggies.

13

yes. toss in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and I’ll eat them all day long. 'course, I’ve never hated them.

14

They’re my son’s favorite vegetable by a long shot. I’ve cooked them most of the ways listed above.

15

Brussels sprouts are perfectly delicious if you add enough spices or flavors to cover up the taste of brussel sprout.

I prefer them steamed, drenched in butter, and encrusted with salt.

16

Why don’t people like them boiled/steamed? They’re just mini cabbages, right? I’ve loved boiled cabbage my whole life, going all the way back to the corned beef and cabbage dinners my dad made us on St. Patty’s Day. It’s bitter, sure. But not SO bitter as to be unpalatable. Steamed sprouts are a really good foil for anything intensely salty (corned beef, bacon, etc).

17

Steamed with Hollandaise sauce.
Yum.

18

I’ve never gotten up the nerve to try one. Do they taste like they smell? I’d really like to try to aquire a taste for more vegetables but based on the aroma, I’m not sure I could force myself to eat one. Maybe the ones I’ve smelled were not prepared well?

19

I must confess I boil them, but I always take a knife and when it’s easy to slice them I take them off the heat. That way they’re al dente. I shall have to try some of the recipes above.

I usually grow Brussels sprouts when I put out a garden. It has to get really cold to kill them and it’s nice to have fresh greens in November, December, and even January.

20

When I was little, I hated Brussels sprouts. Like a lot of people, my mom started with frozen or canned, and boiled the everliving hell out of them.

Then, when I was in my 20’s, a friend of a friend - who was a chef at one of the hottest restaurants in the city - prepared them for me and my friend: halved and sauteed in butter and garlic until beautifully caramelized, then sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground sichuan peppercorns and a splash of lemon juice. They were just golden brown and crisp on the edges, deep green and delicately tender on the inside, and simply could not have been prepared more perfectly.

And I hated them.