Brussels Sprouts are on the rise. It’s true.
They really have all the trappings of a little star, cute diminutive, round little rose shaped buds of cheery green.
The germans call them Rosenkohl, rose cabbage. Cute, right?
They are showing up on menus everywhere & in my own personal travels to potlucks & dinner parties, they are showing up all the time.
Today I want to say, Brussels Sprouts Converts: Good Job! Way to stare a childhood fear in the face and take it down in a roasting pan!
Most people exclaim such vitriolic devoted hatred for this little member of the brassica family. Though when you ask calmly and patiently, why? What did the cute little cabbage things do to you?
“My mom boiled them & they smelled gross & were army fatigue green & mushy. And I hate them.”
Well, there you have it. Who does actually like over-boiled unseasoned anything?
This little morsel of preparation notes is for those of you that are branching out & trying Brussels Sprouts in many new & varying manners. Like say, raw in slivers in a salad or slaw. For this you’ll want to just trim the tiniest sliver off the bottom, cut them in half, lay them on the flat half side then cut them from the top to the base in 1/8″ -1/4″ slices.
Halved & roasted with garlic and olive oil. In the oven or in a pan, with bacon and shallots or orange juice, tamari and walnuts. Simply trim the end & slice from the north pole to the south pole.
Or tiny & whole, simply tossed with oil and spices and roasted until tender then tossed with a handful of fresh herbs.The best way to make sure they get cooked through in this fashion is to simply cut a little “x” through the base so that the densest part of the vegetable gets cooked evenly along with the looser top.
Anyway you decide to prepare them, you will be happy you did. The biggest thing to keep in mind with this tiny vegetable is to not overcook them. The only golden rule, Do Not Overcook Brussels Sprouts. They taste nasty. The perfect doneness should have your paring knife slipping into the base of the sprout with a little resistance and the color should remain a rich range of dense bright greens ranging to a yellow-green inside.
Also keep in mind that this is a cold weather vegetable, they just do not abide the heat, so the best time to dive in is from Fall to Spring. Look for bright green, tight little sprouts no bigger than 1.5 inches in diameter. Try to use them within five days of buying them & do your best not to discard the outer leaves, as they are the most nutritious. If they are yellowing, discard those.
Whenever I have to trim them, I use the leaves with either kale or cabbage in a slaw or braise. Brussels Sprouts grow on a stalk between big leaves, so if you’re ever fortunate enough to find the leaves at a local farmers market, by all means, grab them up and braise them!
Bon apetit! Happy winter eating.
