Monday, April 11, 2011

Eat your Brussel Sprouts!

Brussels sprouts are a cultivar of the same species that includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi; they are cruciferous. They contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. Moreover, they are believed to protect against colon cancer, due to their containing sinigrin*
*From Wikipedia



I never really liked brussel sprouts most of my life because most of the time when I had them they were made very badly. There is nothing worse than boiled brussel sprouts. When I was a kid my mom would boil them until they turned a pale yellow.. pretty much destroying any vitamins they may have had in them and the good flavour went down the drain with the water. All I remember is that they had salt and pepper on them. YUCK right? Well most of the time my mother would have to say "Eat your brussel sprouts" but for some reason over cooked cauliflower didn't have the same effect even though they come from the same family. Mushy cauliflower turns creamy but mushy brussel sprouts just turn yucky..only way to describe it.

Recently I started cooking them a different way and they don't taste anything like they did when I was a kid. So if you haven't had any great tasting brussel sprouts try and make them this way and see if it makes a difference.

How to cook Brussel Sprouts right:

Rinse brussel sprouts but don't dry them.
Cut the ends off and cut them in half.
Take off any damaged or dirty leaves.
Drizzle Olive Oil on them just enough to make them shiny but not soaked in oil.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper and you can also add a little sprinkle of grated nutmeg to enhance the flavour.

Place them on a cookie sheet cut side down.

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees and put the cookie sheet in the oven and cook for at least 25 minutes or until the outside turns crispy but not burnt.

As soon as you take them out of the oven place in a bowl and drizzle a little bit of the best balsamic vinegar you have. Just about a teaspoon depending on how many brussel sprouts you made.

That's it.. Simple..easy. Cooking them until they are slightly crispy not only makes them chip like but it also adds caramelization with brings out the sweetness while still retaining all the vitamins.

Try this recipe on your picky eaters and kids and see if they will "Eat their Brussel Sprouts".

Brussel Sprouts get a bad rap... make them better and get people eating them again.

2 comments:

  1. Perfect! This is one of the best ways to make Brussel sprouts. I make cauliflower like this too and they become sweet and caramelized and delicious!

    Another way to make Brussel sprouts is to pop them into boiling water for 5 minutes(aka flash cook), drain them, cut hem in half and saute them with butter, orange zest, orange juice and some diced pancetta in a skillet. So good!

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    1. I also wanted to take a minute to how to cook brussels sprouts many of you who have recently taken the time to send me such nice letters about my site and my book. I love reading them and hearing about how some of the recipes and ideas I highlight make it into your own kitchen.

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