Medieval weaponry or Brussels sprouts?
At Berkeley Bowl today I spotted something that looked more like a flanged mace or morning star than produce. Intrigued, I decided to buy one for $2.69. Hmm, I avoided brussel sprouts formerly as a child- considering them to be inedible sulphuric hockey pucks. As an adult I've lost enough taste buds to enjoy their delicate texture/nutty taste and use them as a replacement for potato or rice. When I trimmed the brussel sprouts off the stalk, It turned out to have more than 50 of the suckers! Truly a great deal. Works out to about 5 cents per sprout. Not all of them are the same size, which you prolly know means different cooking times. Apparently if you over cook them, they release the dreaded sulphuric compounds; This is easy to do if the sizes are mismatched. So I've split them into different categories and will cook them accordingly.
My favorite is to steam them and then smother with cheese sauce, which as you know is now cheese sauce ala cauliflower in disguise. It wouldn't get through the discerning taste buds of a four year old, but I enjoy it in my attempt to eat nine fruits and vegetables a day. Nine is tough but I'm averaging 7, which has the added bonus of making me too full for other "bad" stuff.
Anyway if you think of any other good ways to cook brussel sprouts, let me know since I have a ton of them.
From my friend Aaron:
Trim & halve your sprouts. Take a large skillet, heat some fat
(olive oil, butter, bacon drippings)... Spread the sprouts cut side down,
leave on medium heat for 4-5min covered. Take off the lid, toss in a
handfull of pine nuts and shake the pan to distribute the nuts and turn
some of the sprouts (they should be browning on the bottom). Let it sit
for another minute or two and toss in a healthy bit of minced garlic,
stir well to take the edge off the garlic and then hit the pan with some
acid (juice of half a lemon or a teaspoon or two of cider vinegar). Salt &
Pepper to taste, serve.
They tasted great!