Monday, November 28, 2011

Overcoming my fear of the Brussels sprout

I always thought it was brussel sprout not Brussels sprout but was quickly schooled when doing a search for recipes.  Anyway...as I kept perusing blogs for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday the theme of Brussels sprouts kept coming up. I began to feel like I was the only one who'd never tried them and believe me when I tell you the hubby was not happy that I picked up the bane of his childhood to give a try.  (I believe his mom boiled them)  When we first got them, he stuck them straight into the freezer.  Ruining them.  Sorry sir, I can buy more and it came with the warning that if they went anywhere other than the fridge, he'd be running out for more.

So I've seen you can roast them in olive oil with a little seasoning or add a little bacon for flavor.  I am anxious to try Colin Cowie's recipe for this slaw kind of thing but am hoping y'all can give me some tips for your favorite ways to prepare them before I delve in.

What's your favorite way to prepare brussel sprouts?

====================
Like this post? Never miss another one...subscribe by email or RSS feed at the upper left of the page!

24 comments:

  1. I've never tried them either. I really don't think I will be either ;) Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry Mrs., I'm with your Mr. on this one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Must admit, I too have never tried them--I'll await your review before considering...

    ReplyDelete
  4. WUSSES! ;)

    I'll report back. I'm not excited about it but I'm tired of feeling like I'm missing out and I want to be able to bash with authority if I truly hate them. But we have a rule to try something new every grocery trip & we've added a lot of things we swore we'd never like that are now staples. Hello hummus!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like to roast them in the oven with a little olive oil, onion powder and garlic powder. I might even sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them too. If they get a little browned crisp, that makes them even better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've had them roasted, boiled, steamed in the microwave and cooked in a frypan on the stovetop. I don't enjoy them at all. I recently came across a recipe making them into a sort of slaw and I will try that. If I don't enjoy this slaw then that will be the end of Brussels sprouts for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I really enjoy them roasted. I'll chop about a pound in half if they're large and throw them in my cast iron skillet. I roast them in the oven with a little oil, garlic and salt. I take it out often to shake it so they don't burn. They're great when they're a little crispy/brown. Allrecipes is where I found my version of brussels sprout recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I LOVE Brussels sprouts...well at least I do when I cook 'em the way I do. Wash and cut sprouts in half. take two strips of bacon and fry them up in a skillet.Before the bacon gets totally crispy, throw your sprouts in with the bacon, sautee it all together, some of the sprouts will start to brown up, which is good. Then finish by steaming the sprouts with about a quarter cup of chicken broth. (I use low fat, low sodium broth). If you WANT to, you can just cook the bacon and then throw it out...but it's only 2 strips of bacon!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love all veggies except beets and brussel sprouts. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have tried brussel sprouts prepared seven ways from Sunday. Every way imaginable - boiled, steamed, roasted, drowned in cheese.... I do NOT like them. I also thought it was 'brussel' vs. 'brussels'. Good to know... disgusting to eat. LOL, good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like them roasted in the oven, sprayed with a 1kcal olive oil :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I remember eating them at least once as a child at my Dad's house...but I've never returned to them. I don't recall hating them....Hmmm...perhaps I've fallen victim to the down with Brussels Sprouts syndrome. Interested to hear what you do with them so perhaps they can come back for another try in my own life! :-0

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, I appear to be in the minority. I love Brussels sprouts, even the frozen ones, but I have to admit that fresh are much, much better. Even boiled. The trick is to not overcook them, which makes them bitter. Steam or boil them for about 10 minutes only, add a little butter if you like. Or they're also very good roasted. Cooked properly, they're delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. As a kid, my mom boiled them - yuk! However, a couple of years ago I heard of roasting them (with or without the bacon). Usually I cut the larger ones in half after trimming the bottoms and roast with olive oil, salt & pepper. I like them when they get a little browned or crispy, sometimes I go real light on the salt and then sprinkle with fresh grated parm. This changed my entire outlook on Brussels Sprouts!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Halve, toss with olive oil, then roast until the edges start to crisp. Then cover the roasting pan/baking sheet with foil and let the heat steam the sprouts for 5-10 min. It'll soften them up a little. Otherwise they can be a little chewy.

    Hubby loves them pan fried in chopped/rendered bacon but that can be a lot of fat.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Brussel Sprouts are my FAVE! I either roast them at 400 until they are crispy, with olive oil and sea salt..OR pan seared with bacon and shallots like I did for thanksgiving. The way I like them is to quarter the big ones, and half the teeny ones, because a whole one is a little too big of a mouthful. Plus it gets crispier when cut!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks so much for the suggestions guys! I hope to try them out tomorrow or the next day! The Mr is has reluctantly agreed and said he's confident I will make them taste as good as they can. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've waved the white flag on Brussels sprouts. But I tried. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I haven't had them since I was a kid and hated them then. Tried a new recipe for Thanksgiving and I really liked it...cut the ends and slice in the food processor (so they are shredded). Heat olive oil in pan with a minced shallot. Add shredded sprouts and fry for 5-6 mins. The recipe called for salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons wine vinegar. It was a bit too much vinegar. They tasted like cabbage and would have been great with an Asian dish.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would do just about anything in the world for you. Tasting Brussels sprouts is not one of them. lol They just will NOT go down my gullet. I'm sorry! Chefman (my Irishman who is an executive chef, a graduate of Johnson and Wales) says he just splits them and steams them, tosses them in a bit of garlic butter maybe. He loves the taste of them and doesn't like to cover it up with heavy seasonings. I hope yours come out good!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh. My. Gosh.

    I cannot believe that this many people ACTUALLY dislike brussels srpouts! I used to pretend to dislike them because all the other kids did but was hooked when I actually tasted one. My favourite is including chopped brussels sprouts in stirfries.

    Mmmm..

    ReplyDelete
  22. Every 2 or 3 years, I try Brussels Sprouts and am sorry I bothered!! HOWEVER, the ideas here have made me want to try yet again!! Let us know what you decide on!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I have never fixed Brussels sprout as an adult but as a child mom and my school cafeteria fixed it a lot so much so that I no longer care for them as an adult.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I don't know if you've tried them or not, but I've discovered the "bitter" part of them is the center. I'm one of the odd ones that peel mine before cooking...kinda like a head of lettuce or cabbage only a LOT smaller. If you use the majority of the outside, then you remove the bitter bite that can be there.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment! I appreciate your time! (Heads up though...disrespectful or spam comments will be deleted.)