Brussel Sprouts, the little green cabbages, can be an acquired taste for many. My mother would make them a couple of times a year, boiling them until the house stank and my father was propping open doors and wishing he still smoked so he could kill the smell.
I prefer them roasted or baked into a casserole or au gratin. If I boil them or steam them, I am gentle, they need to be cooked, not mashed.
So how to prepare them.
They are a little fussy to prepare. This is a quart of fresh - reasonably local - from the local farmers market. I trim off the stem end, and peel off the outer leaves, then slice them in half. If they are tiny, they don't need to be sliced. If they are very large, cut into slices about 1/4 of inch thick.
The au gratin is simple sauce making. Start with equal parts butter and flour - equal by weight works about 1.5 ounces of butter and 1.5 ounces of flour. This is not precision, I start with a nice chunk of butter and a couple of spoons of flour. Heat that over medium heat, the butter will melt and the two will meld into a paste. You can let it brown a little, but don't let it burn or the flavor will be off. Add a cup - cup and a half of milk and stir over medium heat. You are making a basic bechamel sauce, simmer it gently and it will thicken. Add 5-7 ounces of grated cheese, I used parmesan left over from the day before and white cheddar. Stir over medium heat until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth and thick.
Pour the sauce over the sliced sprouts, I topped it with a little grated cheese.
Bake, 375 to 425 degrees F (about 200C) until bubbly and browned on the top. 20-45 minutes depending on the oven. When it is bubbly and browned on the top, it is ready. I baked this along with the roast in a very hot oven, and pulled it when it looked done and a knife showed the sprouts to be tender.
The same basic technique can be used with potatoes, cauliflower, and I am sure a dozen other veggies.
I love good Brussels sprouts.
ReplyDeleteGood being the important word there
DeleteThat sounds like a good way to eat the otherwise inedible brussel sprout. They used to make me gag and almost do now, and as a gay man of a certain age, I don't gag easily. Just last year we had some kind of roasted brussel sprouts somewhere, and they were so nice. But I think if you have to put so much work into a vegetable to make it tasty, why bother.
ReplyDeleteSuch wisdom
DeleteYour Brussels sprouts memory is the same as mine - mom boiling the heck out of them and the smelly house. She then proceeded to put one on my sister's plate, one on each of my brothers' plates, and one my plate and we had to eat it. Oh the noise and agony. But now I love them!
ReplyDeleteMy father was a fussy eater, and that largely controlled what was cooked.
DeleteNot my fave veg, but they are good roasted with butter.
ReplyDeleteMuch better roasted than boiled.
DeleteI LOVE Brussels Sprouts!
ReplyDeleteI am not a fan of the steamed because they seem too mushy, but roasted is wonderful, with blue cheese crumbles and a Balsamic reduction drizzle? Yes, please.
Or thinly slice them and made a delicious salad.
A salad sounds like fun,
DeleteThe king of vegetables. đ
ReplyDeleteSo I have heard.
DeleteI love Brussel Sprouts and this sounds delicious to me.
ReplyDeleteIt is good, and not hard to do.
DeleteI love Brussel Sprouts now but would never eat them as a child. I just use the frozen ones that I can zap in the microwave but they still taste yummy to me!
ReplyDeleteI usually suffer through cleaning them, we are lucky to have access to local small farmers.
DeleteI, too, love Brussel Sprouts. Judy frizzles them on the stovetop. That's her word for frying them gently in butter or bacon fat in a saute pan with a little salt and Mrs. Dash seasoning until they're tender. She does them whole or if they're small, slices them in half if they're big. I like your gratin recipe though and may try it.
ReplyDeleteFried sounds great.
DeleteI used to loathe them when I was younger. Now I love them but only IF they're sauteed or grilled.
ReplyDeleteSassybear
https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
They benefit from careful preparation
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