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Posts with tag Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts bad for global warming

a pan of Brussels Sprouts
For most of the years of my life, my family has eaten string beans as the main vegetable for Christmas dinner. We don't do the traditional green bean casserole, instead choosing to steam them and dress them with butter, toasted almonds, salt and a little roasted garlic. They are so good and my sister, mother and I often fight over the leftovers the next day.

However, this year we're planning on deviated from our tradition in order to have a huge bowl of these Brussels Sprouts instead. Sadly, according to our friends over at Green Daily, Brussels Sprouts are not a particularly green choice for the holiday table. Apparently the seem to have the ability to cause some people to have a bit of gas after they eat them. If you multiply that gas over the millions of people who eat sprouts for Christmas dinner, it can have something of an effect on the green house effect. Luckily, for those of us who don't want to give up our sprouts, we can follow these simple cooking tips in order to reduce their gassy effects.

Lucy's Brussels Sprouts

Lucy's Brussels Sprouts
My parents had Thanksgiving dinner with some old friends this year and after the meal was over, my mom called me to rave about the Brussels Sprouts that Lucy, the friends' daughter, had made. Lucy has two young sons and had made these sprouts in the hopes that her boys would eat them. She put a lot of effort into them, removing each leaf from every small sprout head in order to get a kid-friendly consistency. When she gave my mom the recipe, she stressed that one does not have to go to such labor-intensive lengths in order to make this dish.

The way we did it last night was to chop 2 pounds of sprouts into eighths (quarter them and then halve the quarters), which took some time but was worth it in terms of cooking speed. In a large skillet, I sauteed four thinly sliced leeks (they were fairly small leeks, total yield was about 1 1/2 cups) and two chopped shallots in a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Then the chopped sprouts went in, along with a sprig's worth of minced rosemary. When the started to get a little dry, I added about half a cup of chicken stock (there happened to be some around, otherwise I would have used water). Cover until soft. At the very end, add 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and 1/2 a cup of cream or half and half. Lastly add salt and pepper to taste.

They were so good and while they felt a little decadent, they weren't overwhelmingly rich. I think these are going to end up on the table come Christmas dinner.

A different kind of Thanksgiving: The Boston Globe in 60 seconds

pecan pie

Slashfood in the Kitchen: Episode 1



Some of you may know that I make an online cooking show called Fork You with my friend Scott (of TUAW fame). Well we've taken our witty banter and channeled it into a new show called "Slashfood in the Kitchen" for your viewing pleasure. In this first episode, we make roasted brussels sprouts and a couscous salad, two recipes that I posted about recently here at Slashfood.

If the quality of the episode is a little wonky, fear not, a high resolution version will be coming your way soon.

(Slashfood in the Kitchen is brought to you by Tassimo, a cup for your every desire).

Parsley boy: The garnish gourmand

According to conventional wisdom mothers have fought to get their little ones to eat veggies since before the earth was cooling. Cruciferous varieties, like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are often cited as particularly challenging.

Last week at my nephew's tenth birthday party, I was reminded of his surprising appetite for a particular green. It's not broccoli, kale, spinach, or even broccoli rabe, my Sicilian father's favorite. I don't know where the little guy stands on those. The object of his appetite isn't even a vegetable. It's an herb. He goes gaga for fresh parsley.

What reminded me of his parsley passion, was the birthday present his Aunt Dawn gave him: two fresh bunches of parsley. Ever since he had it in a salad his grandmother made for him when he was six he's been a parsley fanatic. Besides wanting to make her nephew happy, one of the reasons for Aunt Dawn's gift is that he once ate the better part of her parsley patch before anyone noticed.

By now you're probably wondering why this kid likes to eat what many regard as mere garnish.Taking a break from his hectic Lego-building schedule he provided me with the following quote: "I like it because it doesn't have much of a taste. How can you dislike something that has no taste. And it's healthy."

As for me, I was never into fresh parsley as a kid. I was too involved with my own food quirks, like slicing a notch in apple and stuffing it with a slice of bologna.

How to make better brussel sprouts

There are two reasons why brussel sprouts are not the most universally popular of foods. The first is that they are easily over cooked and, like the larger cabbages that they are related to, can develop a mushy texture and an unpleasant smell. The second reason that they aren't that popular also has to do with smell, but this one is one that they cause, not one that the sprouts give off themselves. Fortunately, both problems are easily remedied by proper preparation.

"Overcooking causes chemicals in the sprouts to react and emit sulphur," in turn imparting a biter taste and smell to the sprouts. To properly enjoy sprouts, start with fresh, crisp ones that have tightly curled leaves. They should require only 6-8 minutes of steaming or boiling before they are crisp-tender. Taking care not to overcook them, try braised brussel sprouts or oven roasted brussel sprouts, which will hopefully change the way you think about (and smell) brussel sprouts.

If you still don't like the cabbagy flavor of the sprout once it has been properly cooked, you can always try Shredded Parmesan Brussels Sprouts or Bacon and Cheese Brussels Sprouts.

Tip of the Day

Get the most out of your grilled meats by enhancing their flavor with just a few quick and easy steps.

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