Brussels Sprouts

[aliénor]

i haven't cooked brusssel sprouts since 1967 when i found a worm, ugh! in a sprout. but i tried them the other nite, as i thought i had stayed away long enough. i used a recipe of sara moulton's. she advises shredding the little suckers with the slicing blade of a food processor (would kill all those little squigglies, if they existed). saute some pancetta in a little oil. add the shredded sprouts and cook till tender, about 5 minutes. pour in some balsamic vinegar and reduce till evaporated. season with salt and pepper. turn into a bowl and top with shaved parmigiano-reggiano. um,um good. i think i will add these little things back into my veggie list.

[helenas]

yesterday i devised some way to make brussels sprouts not only palatable but great tasting

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Separate as many leaves as possible, halve the remaining tiny core (or leave it whole).

Dice bacon fat and melt it slowly in large cazuela.

Add brussels sprouts, diced bacon meat, shredded oyster mushrooms (tearing legthwise into strips), sliced garlic, some thyme and lemon zest and toss.

When they start to sizzle, transfer to the oven and roast for about 40min or so, stirring once in a while.

The leaves will become somewhat crisp but not dry getting the mosture from mushrooms i guess, and mushrooms will develop a nice texture as well - crispy and meaty absorbing the wonderful pan juices.

I will try this with shiitake next time.

I also think it will be a great filling for open galette.

And as KatieLoeb suggested a base for lamb and lamb sausage.

[johnder]

I was on a big brussels sprout binge last year, making them almost every other night until my wife threatened me with divorce if I made them again. After preparing them maybe a dozen ways the best way I found was probably not the most nutritious way, but man they tasted good.

I trimmed the root end, peeled away any ugly looking leaves and split them in half lengthwise. Meantime I had a pot of salted water boiling, ~4 cups H2O for 2.5 cups halved sprouts. Once the water came to a boil I would add 2 sticks of butter a sprig of thyme, a few whole peppercorns and the sprouts and cook them for 3-4 minutes then drain.

While the sprouts were blanching/poaching(?) heat up a skillet until very very hot, and right after you drain the sprouts, pour 1/2 cup good quality honey into the wickedly hot skillet. The honey will go from its vicious state to a very liquid state as the water comes out of the honey and then get very thick again. (maybe ~1 minute), once they honey has thickened again, add back the sprouts and coat with the honey.

It makes for a really nice honey glazed butter poached brussels sprout. It really isn't as sweet as you might think, mostly because you get the buttery/rich/salty mouth feel from the poaching. If you find the honey mixture is somewhat too thick coating the sprouts, you can add a tablespoon or two of the poaching liquid to it.

[DTBarton]

I like to put brussel sprouts in with something I'm braising for the last half hour or so, like beef short ribs. Adds an additional vegetable flavor to the sauce and makes the brussels taste great. They are one veggie I like cooked until done, a little stern if they're still crunchy.

[sparrowgrass]

Not only do I love LOVE brussels sprouts, and eat them several times a week, my dogs adore them as well.

They don't get as many as they want, however, because there are unfortunate olfactory consequences.

[snowangel]

I made the braised brussels sprouts from Molly Stevens All About Braising book. Basically, quarter then, brown them, add cream, cover and braise over low heat.

Even my kids who hate brussels sprouts loved them.

[daves]

I used to hatehatehate these nasty things. Well, they were nasty when I had them as a kid -- that's my story and I'm sticking to it. But a couple of years ago I finally had *fresh* sprouts prepared as follows, and now we regularly include them on our menu:

Halve and trim stem end. Shred a fair amount of pancetta slices and add with sprouts to a bowl. Toss in EVOO and s/p. Roast for ~30 min in a 400 oven until somewhat tender. There will be some charring. Finish by tossing with a few T of decent balsamic vinegar.

[Jonathan Day]

Syngenta, the Swiss-British seeds company, claims to developed a brussels sprout that children like because the acrid flavour has been bred out of it. Details here.

According to Syngenta's spokesman, "There was no genetic modification involved, only techniques that have been in place since Adam was around." The sweeter sprouts also passed a series of blind tests conducted on children. The spokesman again: "They even asked for second helpings until they realised what it was they were eating!".

[dahlsk]

I've just started making brussel sprouts regularly, and really like Nigella Lawson's recipe in her new book Feast. Boil for 3 minutes, then mix with rendered pancetta and chestnuts, deglazed with marsala and top with chopped Italian parsley. It was great!

dahlsk

[ratgirlny]

Ooooh, Brussels Sprouts. When I was a kid they were my second favorite vegetable (first was artichokes). My sister and I would fight over the last one. As a kid, I liked to pick them up in my hands and peel them, leaf by leaf. Yeah, I know, gross, but it was great fun for a 7 year old. I notice that my 4 year old loves to do the same thing.

These days I eat them one way only : boiled (not to death please) and slathered with good butter. My 4 year old prefers to put balsamic vinegar all over them.

[deltadoc]

I made Brussel Sprouts for dinner just yesterday. These were super big and firm.

Trim the outer leaves off, cut a "cross-cut" into the stem end, drop into steamer with water already boiling, cover, usually steam the regular size ones about 9-10 minutes, these went for 11.

Drain, add some unsalted butter, some fresh lemon juice, some freshly grated parmesiagno reggiano, freshly grated nutmeg, a lilttle salt, a little freshly ground black pepper.

Served with fresh garlic/rosemary mashed baked potatoes, pan roasted filet mignon, demi-glace with Maytag Iowa Blue Cheese.

Served with a bottle of Shafer's Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2000.

I was ready for the Super Bowl!

doc

Edited February 7, 2005 by deltadoc (log)

[ProfessionalHobbit]

I wanted to share a recipe I devised last year for Thanksgiving.  It was such a hit that it will definitely make an appearance this year.

 

Begin with your usual tray of halved and quartered brussel sprouts that have been seasoned with olive oil, salt and black pepper.  Roast at 350 F for one hour, making sure to stir the sprouts every so often.  Hat tip to @weinoo for the stirring tip, which is something I didn't know before.

 

 

Dice some pancetta or if you don't have any, I imagine some thick-cut bacon would be really great.  Or guanciale, which is even better.

 

 

Like so.

 

 

Sprouts after roasting.

 

 

Fry your pancetta until the fat is rendered and they become crisped.

 

 

Once the pancetta is ready, add: 1/2 cup golden raisins that were plumped in boiling water (soak in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain) and the roasted sprouts. Stir in 2 tbsp. sherry vinegar. Taste for salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately.

 

Or, if you want, refrigerate overnight.  The flavors develop marvelously over time.

 

The amount of food pictured was for 4 people.