Brussels sprout might be the most polarizing vegetable in the crisper. Some people associate the green golf balls with childhood edicts attached to the cleaning of plates, while others have discovered an earthy fall vegetable that's hearty and delicious.
When they are FRESH and ROASTED, they are not just good -- they are heavenly. Sweet, savory, tender ... my mouth waters just thinking about them. Roasted brussels sprouts are one of the best foods on earth. They are simple to prepare, incredibly good for you and delicious.
For my money, she's preaching to the choir. It's as if brussels sprouts need to be considered two different vegetables based on preparation. If they are boiled, lightly sauteed or chopped and buried inside a casserole, they are the instruments of torture that you ran from as an adolescent.
But, like chopped carrots or sweet potato fries, when they are roasted in the oven (or on the grill) with a liberal splash of olive oil and sea salt, they taste like you want your food to taste in the fall. The flesh retains heat, there's a crunchy exterior that yields to a soft, pulpy flesh, and the salt and oil activates a wealth of flavor.
Michael Smith has a brilliant example in the lunch menu's Pan Roasted Campo Lindo Chicken, served with a side of roasted grapes and brussels sprouts. At Justus Drugstore, Chef Jonathan Justus sneaks some on the plate with his American Kobe Rib Eye. It's a shame that brussels sprouts have been painted with such a wide
brush of distaste, but hopefully more talented local chefs can use them to change our perceptions.
[Image via Flickr: tvol]
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pro-tip:
don't cook them too long or at too high a level of heat. you release a sulfur derivative that makes them smell and taste like garbage.
Eating bad brussels sprouts was a traumatic and sickening experience in my youth, and no amount of testimonials from all you Sam-I-ams will ever persuade me to eat them. I do not like them.
We love 'em in our house! We tend to blanch them, then saute them with some pancetta and shallots, and THEN finish them off with a nice short roast in the oven, and then we eat them ALL. Delicious!
Agree DLC
what used to be the foundation of the stock yards has now become manifest in city hall, the federal reserve and the left over toxic waste that is the bannister complex.
Keith, I've found that this town has no shortage of properly cultured BS (sorry)
properly grown brussel sprouts are in a class all their own
what one finds at the stores (and even some farmer's markets) are pale in comparison to properly cultured BS
properly grown brussel sprouts are in a class all their own
what one finds at the stores (and even some farmer's markets) are pale in comparison to proerly cultured BS
I was going to mention the superb sprouts at Justus, but you beat me to it. I had never tried brussell sprouts as an adult until I ate there recently. I wanted seconds!
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