Brussel Sprouts

I read this hilarious blurb on CookingChannelTV.com that said brussel sprouts are finally trendy. I have seen them pop up on restaurant menus and on TV recipes however I’m not sure people actually like them more now than before.

I had tried cooking them whole before as they are most often served and found them to be very bitter. The trick is to cut out the core which removes the bitterness. The best recipe I have found was from Jacques Pepin who advised to cut the sprouts into small pieces or shred them before cooking. I don’t have my cookbooks with me in NY (they are back in SD) so I can’t give you the exact recipe but here’s how I remember cooking them.

I cut out the core with a small paring knife and since I don’t have a mandolin, I sliced them julienne-style (thin strips). I crisped some bacon in a sauté pan and added the shredded brussel sprouts to the pan. Or did I blanch them in hot water first? Might have done that first (blanch for 30 seconds in hot water) or just added them to the pan with the bacon and added a bit of water to the pan. So I cooked them in that pan, added a bit of butter, bit of salt (not much cause of the bacon) and served them as is. My husband Mark made a face as I told him we were having brussel sprouts but he actually enjoyed them. Since then he’s converted to brussel sprout advocate.

Try cooking them this way next time you think you want to give them a second chance. Or cook them any other way but cut out that core and/or chop them into smaller pieces.