All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. ~John Gunther

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

brussel sprouts return to the neighborhood


here's my theory: people who don't like brussel sprouts just don't know they like brussel sprouts. here's the corollary: brussel sprouts are the enigma of mainstream vegetable life. here's my example: how many folks out there know that brussel sprouts look like this prior to packaging:


it's a stalk - cool, right? and so my premise is that if most people don't even know how brussel sprouts come into the world, how can they possibly know how to treat them right? here's my suggestion for a night on the town with your dear friend, monsieur b. sprout, chaperoned by my culinary panacea, garlic.

1. preheat the oven to 350.

2. mince a lot of garlic. like, five cloves at least. go nuts. or hold back, but know that I would be going nuts with the garlic if I were you.

3. wash your brussel sprouts and peel off the top leaves. cut brussel sprouts in half and lay them on a baking sheet with the newly cut side facing up. the number of brussel sprouts is really of no importance. how many people are you feeding? what else are you serving? are you nervous about the taste? (don't be. keep washing and cutting brussel sprouts. this is good.)

4. when you've maxed out your sprouts, sprinkle them with olive oil and minced garlic. I like to toss on a sesame seed-seaweed-sea salt mixture as well, but you can skip that entirely, or use plain salt and pepper.



(also, please take a moment to observe my DIY pot lid on the back burner. nice, huh?)





5. check on the brussel sprouts after 20 minutes. you want the insides to be soft and the outside leaves to be crunchy. a good hint is to examine the state of the garlic. if it's still brown and roasting, you're fine. if it's looking burnt, well, take those puppies out of the oven.

6. if you're feeling crazy, scrape all the brussel sprouts and garlic-olive oil mixture into a bowl and toss before serving. otherwise, just use a spatula and place these on a plate. it's good stuff. I had these with brown rice for lunch this week, added them to a soup for extra flavor, and just ate them cold out of the fridge. seriously. this will change your mind about brussel sprouts.

and if I'm wrong, you're not using enough garlic.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

my sis made a kick ass brussel sprout dish with olive oil and sauteed onions at thanksgiving dinner. the sprouts were cut up so it was almost like eating cabbage except they were brussel sprouts. it was delish.

anyway i am a long time fan of brussel sprouts and truly do not understand the bad rep. they are very good cooked with maple syrup and baked chestnuts...i know sarah emily does not like maple, but for everyone else it's a delicious combination.

Anonymous said...

For the lazy among you, tossing the halved Brussels sprouts into a plastic bag with the oil, garlic, etc., gets the job done.