It’s time to forget about the negative press on brussels sprouts and give them some love.  I believe televison holds some responsibility in enforcing the stereotype that brussels sprouts are gross and nasty tasting.  I even remember watching a cartoon where one of the characters accidentally eats a brussels sprout and his friends shrink themselves and their spaceship to go inside the kid’s body to remove the foreign object in the body - the dreaded brussels sprout.  The fact of the matter is, brussels sprouts are packed with nutrition, one cup provides over 200% of the body’s daily requirements for vitamin K, 161% of vitamin C, as well as providing a decent amount of vitamin A, manganese, and fiber.  

So are brussels sprouts really mushy and bitter?  Yes, but only when they are overcooked.  Overcooking the vegetables results in releasing a sulpheric smell and taste.  When cooked correctly however, they are extremely tasty and can provide a nice crunchy  and nutty texture to a dish.  It’s the season for this neglected vegetable and they can be found at virtually any grocery store.

I prepare my brussels sprouts in either one of two ways.

The Plain Method

Cut each sprout in half.  Fill a medium pot with shallow water, make sure it doesn’t completely cover the sprouts when you place them in.  Let the water come to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cook the sprouts for about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Drain and serve.

The More Flavorful Alternative

Cut each sprout in half.  Fill a medium pot with shallow water, make sure it doesn’t completely cover the sprouts when you place them in.  Let the water come to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cook the sprouts for about 4-5 minutes on one side.  Drain and set aside.  Dice up a bit of shallot and let it cook in a pan with some butter.  At this point, you want to sweat out the shallots, so use low heat.  After a couple of minutes, turn up the heat to the medium setting and add in the brussels sprouts.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper to enhance the flavor and cook the sprouts for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.  When you buy them, make sure they are similar in size to ensure proper and even cooking.

~ Kin

 

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