Brussels Sprouts

[ollie]

Martian heads?

[tommy]

you people, all, are nuts.

hi suvir! (suvir is viewing this thread).

the oven is on. i have no idea what i'm going to do though.

[maggiethecat]

i have no idea what i'm going to do though. 

Well, dear Tommy, not from a dearth of suggestions.

With sprouts, as others have said, slightly overcooked is better than slightly undercooked.

Let us crazy B. sprout fanatics know what happened.

Edited February 11, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[KatieLoeb]

A chef friend of mine does them with lardons and dePuy lentils as a base for lamb and lamb sausage. Yummy!

[Jinmyo]

A chef friend of mine does them with lardons and dePuy lentils as a base for lamb and lamb sausage.  Yummy!

Actually, that sounds great.

[A Scottish Chef]

pour some EVOO

What is this?

[Peter B Wolf]

you people, all, are nuts.

hi suvir! (suvir is viewing this thread).

the oven is on.  i have no idea what i'm going to do though. 

.....Tommy Answer this (since you don't have anything to do).

Why are "Brussels Spouts" round when all other sprouts are looking like wiggly worms?

[eat2much]

EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

[tommy]

gee, i took everyone's opinion and put it all into one pot.

blanched spouts (after removing outer leaves) with diced potatoes.

EVOO/S/P, chopped red onion, garlic in skin, in 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes, tossing as needed. squeeze of lemon juice and served.

right on. wow. it was nice to roast both the starch and the veggie in one pan.

worked out great.

thanks to all.

this, of course, will now become a standard (i nevah cooked these little suckers before )

unintersting looking picture that doesn't do justice to the rubbed pork chop or the dish:

Edited February 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[jaybee]

I like to eat a huge plate of brussel sprouts, asparagus and brocoli and with garlic, then go out and play Terrance and Phillip.

[KatieLoeb]

A chef friend of mine does them with lardons and dePuy lentils as a base for lamb and lamb sausage.  Yummy!

Actually, that sounds great.

It is ! A very earthy and "wintery" sort of dish. I just had this on Saturday evening for dinner and it was delicious. He was running this as a special. I think the menu cost was about $27.00. Very hearty stuff.

[maggiethecat]

gee, i took everyone's opinion and put it all into one pot.

blanched spouts (after removing outer leaves) with diced potatoes. 

EVOO/S/P, chopped red onion, garlic in skin, in 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes, tossing as needed.  squeeze of lemon juice and served.

right on.  wow.  it was nice to roast both the starch and the veggie in one pan. 

worked out great. 

thanks to all.

this, of course, will now become a standard (i nevah cooked these little suckers before )

unintersting looking picture that doesn't do justice to the rubbed pork chop or the dish:

Tommy: You are so wrong! The pic was great. And the chops look wonderful.

'Ya did good. I think I might make your dish tomorrow. Thanks.

[tommy]

'Ya did good.  I think I might make your dish tomorrow.  Thanks.

and maggie, this is exactly the type of thing that makes egullet not only *the* best food discussion site on the net, but the best site period. i look forard to a report.

[maggiethecat]

and maggie, this is exactly the type of thing that makes egullet not only *the* best food discussion site on the net, but the best site period.  i look forard to a report. 

So Tommy my dear, how much of a kickback is Jason giving you?

And I absolutely agree with you. eGullet forever!

[tommy]

So Tommy my dear, how much of a kickback is Jason giving you?

And I absolutely agree with you.  eGullet forever!

jason is broke. steven is my backer.

[col klink]

I made some brussel sprouts tonight a la Nightscotsman. I boiled them for 3 minutes and cold shocked them. I then sauteed them in duck fat and evoo with garlic and s/p. They were good, but I needed to boil them an extra minute and wait longer before I put the garlic in. I also deglazed the pan with a cup and a half of beaujoulais vilages. You couldn't taste the duck fat so I'm thinking bacon would be better suited. Yes, bacon.

These sprouts were not as good as ones I've previously roasted.

[Matt Seeber]

These sprouts were not as good as ones I've previously roasted.

i would agree klink. i happen to think that blanching washes out too much of the intense flavor that i love so much.

[Priscilla]

Yes, blanching makes for a whole different trip. Not necessarily BAD, but different.

IF they're superultrafresh roasted from raw is superultradelicious.

But (IF they're fresh) blanched shocked etc. don't too too much harm and can make them safe for democracy and timider eaters.

[Dana]

I use either of 2 methods:

1). Shave of mandoline and saute quickly in butter. Douse with balsamic and top with peccorino. S&P

2). Steam till done. Sauce with butter and lemon. S&P

Both delish.

[SobaAddict70]

you can also turn brussel sprouts into a sauce for pasta (ask Wilfrid if you don't believe me. )

Strip each brussel sprout of its leaves and chop each sprout's core finely. Set aside. Caramelize some onions in some EVOO, add red pepper flakes to taste and a couple of anchovies -- let the anchovies disintegrate into the sauce; add a couple of T. more EVOO, then add the brussel sprouts. Stir once or twice, cover partially for a few minutes and simmer on medium-low heat. By this point, the leaves should be tender and a bright green; add a couple of T. of the pasta cooking water, add salt and cracked black pepper to taste, toss with pasta. Top off with a drizzle of EVOO and herbed fried bread crumbs.

Add roasted garlic puree in the step after the anchovies disintegrate, or you can saute a garlic clove initially before adding the onions (discard clove or reserve for another use). When I make this recipe, I use 2 buckets of sprouts which makes enough sauce for four to six people.

SA

[bushey]

These are all great ways to prepare brussel sprouts. For Thanskgiving I combine them with chestnuts and cook in a bit of broth, butter and Madeira until the liquid reduces to a syrupy consistency.

But am I the only one who like to steam them until they're crisp tender and munch as is, without anything else added? I love the sweet taste of the sprouts alone. Our whole family can go through many of these "tiny cabbages".

[Jim Dixon]

As with most of my favorite cooking techniques, this one doesn't require much work...

split lengthwise, then again (so you have long quarter-sprouts)

chop roughly

saute (olive oil, butter, or combination) with either garlic or shallot until wilted and maybe even a bit browned, about 15 minutes medium heat

squeeze lemon or lime juice over, salt and eat (good wine or sherry vinegar also works well)

Jim

ps...altho' this is how I always cook them, next time it I'm trying the celery root or lentil combo

[maggiethecat]

But am I the only one who like to steam them until they're crisp tender and munch as is, without anything else added? I love the sweet taste of the sprouts alone. Our whole family can go through many of these "tiny cabbages".

No, you are not alone. The Brussel Sprout is one veg that seems to have been ignored, mostly, by food scientists, geneticists, etc. They still have that crazy sprout taste and texture.

Like adorable, cuddly baby cabbages. But all that cabbage taste is sweeter and more intense.

Pasta sauce. Hmmmm.

[grahamtigg]

Interesting that there's been no mention of sprout tops. I find that they have the essential sprout flavour with the bitterness replaced by a hint of sweetness. This means that when cooked plain I prefer them.

On sprouts themselves sweet chestnuts work well as they counteract some of the bitterness.

Anyone know if a sprout fresh from the field as it were is less bitter than those that have been hanging around?

[JAZ]

The other night I was caramelizing onions to serve with steak. I had also steamed some brussels sprouts, and was toying around with some ideas for finishing them when I was struck by the idea of adding the sprouts to the onions. A splash of balsamic vinegar and a fairly heavy sprinkle of salt, and it was a wonderful dish.