Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Dish of the Day: Roasted Brussels Sprouts




The days of hating and fearing Brussels sprouts are officially over. Now everyone is giving them a try and that's largely because cooks have stopped the horrible practice of boiling the poor things. This cruciferous vegetable is packed with amazing phytochemicals and roasting at lower temperatures helps to preserve them. As opposed to boiling them to death so they turn that nasty shade of dead-frog green.

As a lazy cook, I now cook these exclusively by slicing these babies in half, placing them cut-side down on an oiled baking pan, basting with a bit more oil and then placing them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375F. They don't even need to be turned over - they're so simple.

I'm using my silicone basting brush daily as it's such a good way to lightly coat foods in oil. This came in handy with the Brussels sprouts to ensure that the bottom of the glass baking pan was evenly coated with oil. I topped them with some nutmeg, salt and pepper and a drizzle of walnut oil when they came out of the oven.

2 comments:

armani said...

Yummy! This is very similar to the way I make them. I split them, parboil them for a 30 secs until they turn bright green, then dry them with a paper towel, and carmelize their flat surfaces in a medium-heat pan coated with olive oil. Should be 5 minutes or so? You can better control the heat this way and get more even browning. Top with a light sprinkling of Maldon salt. Done!

If you want to get more elaborate, I might toast slivered almonds (a good combo), drizzle basalmic vinegar (balances the flavors) and grate an interesting cheese over them.

Caroline said...

Thanks Armani and of course you are such an epicure so I knew you'd have some other ways to spice this up. I've also made them with chopped pecans thrown in the oven for good measure. I love the way the sprouts end up tasting so nutty all on their own.