This makes my mouth happy.
I think a lot of people have aversions to Brussels sprouts because they haven't had any that have been cooked properly. Here are a couple of hints followed by my favorite way to prepare sprouts.
- Cut an X in the bottom of your sprout. This helps them cook more evenly and prevents the need to have to overcook them to get the centers tender.
- Pour just a quick glug of milk in with the sprouts if you choose to boil them. This keeps the smell down!
My favorite method of cooking sprouts is roasting them. Martijn likes this recipe, but says he prefers them the "traditional" way (but he likes canned peas better than frozen ones too, so I don't know if I should trust his judgment on this one!).
Prepare sprouts by trimming the stems, cutting the X and discarding any discolored or wilted outer leaves.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200-ish C).
In a big bowl with a lid (or a ziploc bag) combine about a pound of sprouts, a glug of olive oil, a teaspoon of good salt, and a little bit of pepper. Shake well and make sure all the sprouts are coated evenly with a little bit of the oil.
On a cookie sheet with parchment, spread the sprouts out.
Roast for 30-45 minutes. You'll want to shake the pan or stir the sprouts with a wooden spoon every 5 minutes or so so they'll cook evenly. Your sprouts will be really dark brown, almost black. Season to taste with additional salt if necessary.
Check out more Kitchen Tip Tuesday hosted by Tammy.
7 comments:
You should always trust your husband. He has a fine taste for cuisine! Don't forget to add a generous layer of nutmeg to your sprouts, either....
Heh, we had sprouts yesterday! I boiled them very shortly (two minutes) and then stir-fried them with bacon bits, served with fried potato wedges and a 'tartaartje'. I still need to try the roasting some time.
I used to think I disliked sprouts, but at some point I found out that it was the way my mother prepared them - combined with apples - that I don't like. I have memories of sorting the whole lot out again and moving the sprouts to one edge of my plate and the apples to the other. Nothing wrong with boiled sprouts, nothing wrong with fried apples, but not together for me! When I cook them myself, I combine sprouts with savoury flavours instead.
As for the peas, I do like canned peas, but they are just a *different thing* from frozen or fresh peas...
Fantastic suggestion with the milk! My grandma taught me to cut the "×" into the bottom of the sprouts to help them cook evenly, but the smell.. I am a fan, regardless of their smell, but my husband: He senses when they are around the corner, he dislikes them this much! The cooking tips are great & I'll give them a try. You always have nice cooking suggestions :-)
I always thought I didn't like peas until I had ones that weren't from a can! :o)
I'm not sure I've ever had Brussels sprouts, and I've definitely never made them. I'm interested to try now, though; thanks for the tips! :o)
Yay for brussel sprouts! I have always liked them, though I was loathe to admit it growing up. I never knew about cutting the x, and I can't wait to try them, also the milk... Yummy! I want to go by some sprouts right now to try it all out!
I only eat those because the family loves them. I really have no love for the sprout to say the least.
The way I do it though, I cut the ends off the sprouts then rub them so the leaves fall off, then I fry a few pieces of bacon and then toss the leaves into the pan. If some of the leaves are too hard to take off the little bud then I cut them in half. You might have to add a few drizzles of olive oil during the cooking process. But once the leaves have wilted they are pretty much done.
LOVE canned peas.. and canned corn :P
Melissa
I love roasted sprouts too. I have only made them once though for the reason you mentioned, marcel likes the traditional way better.
I've never heard the milk tip to keep the smell down, you can be sure I will use that in the future because those babies STINK!
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