Friday, May 29, 2009

Eat Your Greens

Most people don't like brussels sprouts & I can't blame them. They taste a lot like cabbage when they're boiled and I hate cabbage. Thanks cabbage soup diet.

But there's a restaurant in Silver Lake where I ordered brussels sprouts on a whim and fell in love because they were roasted.

Roasting brussel sprouts makes them nutty with a satisfying crunch and while I can eat them alone, they're particularly delicious with filet mignon. Even better, with a glass of red vino!

The best part? They're easy to make. I am the laziest cook on the planet and have never ruined these. Below is the best way to roast them according Ina Garten. Her cooking show The Barefoot Contessa actually inspires me to cook. And I'm a baker.

Ina Garten's Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(recipe & photo above are from The Barefoot Contessa cookbook)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Here's my lazy 10 minute recipe which is still darn good for being so quick.

Suzanne's Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

What you need:

- 1 to 1 1/2 cups Baby brussels sprouts.
Smaller = tastier. I like the little bags they sell at Trader Joe's
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mixing Bowl
- Medium-sized pan

Start heating up your pan on medium heat. No spray, oil or butter.

Cut all of the brussels sprouts longways. Pop them in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over them so they're lightly coated and toss so all of the sprouts are coated. Add a dash of salt & pepper & toss again.

Pour the sprouts into the pan and put them all face-down. Let them brown & cook for 5 minutes. Then flip them over & let them cook on their backs for another 5.

Now pour them straight into a serving plate or bowl to eat. I like to add a sprinkle of sea salt for extra flavor!

Most important thing about roasted brussels sprouts?
Don't let them sit too long. Like french fries, they get mushy.

4 comments:

Horry said...

hmmmm.... I'm still skeptical but I like crunchy things, so maybe I will try 'em!

Anonymous said...

I'm soooo excited about this. I like brussel sprouts a tad, but this sounds delicious...my kids love them already....they'll be happy about this recipe....thanks!!

encinoblogger said...

Great addition to the above, copied from Campanile: Boil well-cleaned sprouts uncovered for ten to fifteen minutes, depending on size. Drain well; saute in good olive oil until brown. Add a few cloves of diced garlic to the saute. Finish the sprouts and garlic with some grated Parmesean and balsamic vinegar, and serve hot. This preparation has made devotees of former Brussels sprouts haters in my own family.

Michelle said...

This sounds wonderful! I'm willing to give them a try again. (ate too many, years back!)

It'll also give me a reason to use the pink himalayan sea salt that I got @ http://www.sustainablesourcing.com/

(and my peppercorns, too!)

Thanks!

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