# Brussels Sprouts My Way



## Zhizara (Nov 20, 2013)

I've always thought I should eat certain veggies at least occasionally for my body's sake.

Brussels Sprouts are one of the ones I made a special attempt to make palatable.

I succeeded by cutting them in half, sauteing in garlic butter, and making a "white sauce" using Bisquick instead of flour and evaporated milk instead of regular milk.  It worked!

This time I'm doing the same, but also adding a half jar of Alfredo sauce I need to use up.  I think this sounds pretty good.  What do you BS lovers (and haters) think?


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 20, 2013)

Sounds good to me!

I would take it a step further and put it into a casserole top it with breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs and bake it until it was all bubbly, some diced ham or smoked sausage coins tossed in would also be nice!

I love Brussels sprouts!


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## Alix (Nov 20, 2013)

I have a jar of roasted garlic and chile flakes that I use with brussels sprouts. I put them in the microwave (if already blanched) or do a quick boil then drain, toss with butter and garlic/chile flakes. DELICIOUS


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## salt and pepper (Nov 20, 2013)

Brussel sprout tips: Because of the natural chemicals in the sprouts (which will smell like sulfur) if over cooked, you loose the sweetness. The best way I have found to prep them is to trim, then cut the in half. Soak them in cold water to leach out the acids. Don't over cook! Seven minutes and under for best flavor & sweetness. You can boil or steam. I like to steam them until done then, add maple syrup and saute till syrup is just warm. Also would like to add: smaller is sweeter.


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## CraigC (Nov 20, 2013)

Bacon and balsamic. A few other things go in as well, but those two are the magic.


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## forty_caliber (Nov 20, 2013)

They look like shrunken heads.  OFF MY LIST.  Ok...Mrs 40 makes them sometimes but if you put enough butter and sugar the BS doesn't interfere with the taste of the sugar at all. 

.40


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## GotGarlic (Nov 20, 2013)

Trim, cut in half, toss with evoo and S&P, roast at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.


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## Zhizara (Nov 20, 2013)

Oooooh!  Such yummy ideas!  

I like the casserole idea, Aunt Bea!  I've got fried onions and real bacon bits, as well as kielbasa.  I think you've made a sale.  I'll let everyone know the results.

I really like the idea of Balsamic vinegar too.  I'm only using half the package, so I want to try that too next time.  Thanks for the idea, Craig!

These are frozen, S&P, but I really like the soaking idea.  My original thought for the Bisquick sauce, was to get rid of the bitterness.  I never thought about soaking.  Good idea!

Alix, I'd love to find any kind of roasted garlic.  Where in the store can I find them???  I do have a bunch of fresh garlic I need to use up.  I've been trying the boiling method which does work.  Thanks for reminding me I need to do them, but I'd really like to be able to buy some already to use!


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## CraigC (Nov 20, 2013)

Zhizara said:


> Oooooh! Such yummy ideas!
> 
> I like the casserole idea, Aunt Bea! I've got fried onions and real bacon bits, as well as kielbasa. I think you've made a sale. I'll let everyone know the results.
> 
> ...


 
You can thank Giada, its her recipe.


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## bbobson (Nov 20, 2013)

Ok, I may an oddity.  The few times I didn't like brussels sprouts was when too much attention was given them.  For me a little oil, salt and pepper and roast.  Makes me happy every time, although I can definitely see balsamic working well.


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## pacanis (Nov 20, 2013)

I've tried a sauce or two, but I always go back to:
Halve them.  Saute cut side down in EVOO, butter, salt and garlic. When they have caramelized; flip, add a little chicken broth, turn the heat down and put a lid on it. Steam until tender, 10 minutes or so.


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## Zhizara (Nov 20, 2013)

Gee, I'm glad I started this topic!  Great ideas from great minds!  Keep it up! People will be lining up to try them.

Pac, I'm guessing you are using fresh BS?


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## pacanis (Nov 20, 2013)

Yes, fresh. I don't eat them often enough to buy frozen, so I'll buy a small amount in the produce aisle and have them in two or three meals. Frozen would end up being a bag of frost.


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## taxlady (Nov 20, 2013)

pacanis said:


> I've tried a sauce or two, but I always go back to:
> Halve them.  Saute cut side down in EVOO, butter, salt and garlic. When they have caramelized; flip, add a little chicken broth, turn the heat down and put a lid on it. Steam until tender, 10 minutes or so.


Your method sounds yummy.

I usually just cut an x in the base and steam them, then serve with butter.  I don't want to hide the flavour of the sprouts.


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## pacanis (Nov 20, 2013)

taxlady said:


> Your method sounds yummy.
> 
> I usually just cut an x in the base and steam them, then serve with butter. I don't want to hide the flavour of the sprouts.


 
oh that's right, I trim a sliver off the bottom, also. I forgot that part until you mentioned the X.
I'm pretty much into plain veggies or with little done to them, too. I can't even remember the last time I made cheese sauce for broccoli or cauliflower.


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## Whiskadoodle (Nov 20, 2013)

I find a good way to use leftover brussel sprouts is cut in halves if not done already,  marinate them in bottled Italian dressing ( or your own herbed vinaigrette)  Serve cold or room temp like pickles.


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## CarolPa (Nov 20, 2013)

taxlady said:


> Your method sounds yummy.
> 
> I usually just cut an x in the base and steam them, then serve with butter.  I don't want to hide the flavour of the sprouts.




I'm with you.  I love them, just with butter and salt.  But I like them overcooked, to the point that they start to fall apart.  Even if I'm making roasted vegetables, I will boil the BS a little before roasting them, to make sure they are soft enough for me.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 20, 2013)

forty_caliber said:


> They look like shrunken heads.  OFF MY LIST.  Ok...Mrs 40 makes them sometimes but if you put enough butter and sugar the BS doesn't interfere with the taste of the sugar at all.
> 
> .40



+1.  We must use the same recipe, except I leave out the BS.  I find they do affect the taste of the sugar for me...


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## Zagut (Nov 20, 2013)

Brussels Sprouts are wonderful.

If you like them you do but if you don't then you don't.

Different stokes for different folks.

I like them no matter how they are prepared.

But I believe for those who tend to dislike them the best way to prepare them is to roast them with a sauce that helps the medicine go down.

Butter, a little garlic, and even Anchovies can help in the sauce.

Experiment and enjoy.

You'll find a way if you want to enjoy them.


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## MrsLMB (Nov 22, 2013)

Can not stand them steamed or boiled or with any kind of sauce.

But I do love them this way:

Cut in half, put cut side down in a skillet that has hot browned butter in it. Drop the heat to med and cook, covered, until caramelized on the cut side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dig in !

Alternately you can use bacon drippings rather than butter. Then sprinkle crumbled bacon on top.

I wonder if they would be yummy done on the bbq grill?


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 24, 2013)

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorites. I have two methods that seem to work best for me. Most of the time I just halve them and toss with a little olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and then roast them in a hot oven until they are browned and caramelized.

The other way I make them is a little fancier, and makes a good side dish for holidays:

Start with a pound of sprouts, halved.
Fry up 3 or 4 slices of bacon in a pan and remove. Pour off all but a tablespoon of the remaining fat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
Add the sprouts and brown until nicely caramelized and tender.
Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and a handful of dried cranberries (aka "craisins") to the pan.
Crumble the bacon you fried earlier, and add back to the pan.
Toss with a couple tablespoons of your favorite vinaigrette or commercial Italian salad dressing. Season to taste and serve warm.
Try not to eat the whole thing.


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## GotGarlic (Nov 24, 2013)

Steve Kroll said:


> Brussels sprouts are one of my favorites. I have two methods that seem to work best for me. Most of the time I just halve them and toss with a little olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and then roast them in a hot oven until they are browned and caramelized.
> 
> The other way I make them is a little fancier, and makes a good side dish for holidays:
> 
> ...



I can't eat Brussels sprouts because of the high fiber, but I think this method would work great with green beans, too. Thanks!


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## taxlady (Nov 24, 2013)

GotGarlic said:


> I can't eat Brussels sprouts because of the high fiber, but I think this method would work great with green beans, too. Thanks!


What a good idea! Stirling isn't willing to eat, or even smell, Brussels sprouts. He isn't fond of green beans (I am), but will eat them. I'm going to have to give this a try.


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## Cooking Goddess (Nov 25, 2013)

I like the walnuts & dried cranberry idea Steve!

Himself likes them naked (well, with a bit of butter).  I prefer their original taste, um, "enhanced".  We both love them roasted, so we have that as an option.  If I want to hide their true taste, this is how I prepare them:

Blanche the halved sprouts, drain, and set aside.  While cooking the sprouts saute bacon pieces, removed from pan and set aside.  To bacon drippings add sliced mushrooms and saute until browned.  Add the Brussels sprouts, bacon bits, a generous dose of garlic powder, and a palmful of tarragon crumbled to near dust.  Stir to mix and serve.  These are even better the next day, so I'll be making them as a side dish to take to my SILs for Thanksgiving, making it on Wednesday and running it up to her home so it can be popped into the oven to reheat.


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## msmofet (Nov 25, 2013)

We love them. All I do is clean, cut in half, place in micro safe bowl. Cover (no water added) and steam on high till tender. Maybe 6 minutes add butter, salt and pepper YUM!!

Sometimes we have Brussels sprouts instead of cabbage with corned beef.


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## Mad Cook (Dec 19, 2013)

salt and pepper said:


> Brussel sprout tips: Because of the natural chemicals in the sprouts (which will smell like sulfur) if over cooked, you loose the sweetness. The best way I have found to prep them is to trim, then cut the in half. Soak them in cold water to leach out the acids. Don't over cook! Seven minutes and under for best flavor & sweetness. You can boil or steam. I like to steam them until done then, add maple syrup and saute till syrup is just warm. Also would like to add: smaller is sweeter.


I agree with all of this except the soaking. Soaking leaches out the vitamins as well.

Mostly what ruins a good BS is over boiling in gallons of water.

Not entirely sure about the maple syrup but each to his own. They team well with nuts - walnuts, almonds or chestnut in particular - and garlic and butter.

 Incidentally, it is essential to defy your mother and NEVER cut the cross in the bottom if boiling - it lets the water into the insides of the sprouts and that makes them soggy.


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## Mad Cook (Dec 19, 2013)

msmofet said:


> We love them. All I do is clean, cut in half, place in micro safe bowl. Cover (no water added) and steam on high till tender. Maybe 6 minutes add butter, salt and pepper YUM!!
> 
> Sometimes we have Brussels sprouts instead of cabbage with corned beef.


Hurrah! Another member of the DC chapter of the SOBS (Save Our Brussels Society)


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## Zhizara (Dec 19, 2013)

My favirte way to prepare them is to make a white sauce using bisquick instead of flour, and evaporated milk.  Simmer a few minutes and YUM.


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## CarolPa (Dec 19, 2013)

Here's a recipe I'm going to try for Christmas.  



*Beyond Compare Brussels Sprouts*

Prep time 10 min  Cook time  40 min
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
8 1/2 oz Corn Muffin Mix
1C frozen corn, thawed
8 slices bacon
3 1/2 lb brussels sprouts trimmed and halved
Salt  and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1/4 C chicken stock (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat a square baking dish with cooking spray.  Prepare corn muffin batter according to pkg instructions.  Stir thawed corn into batter.  Bake for 15 min until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool.

Cook bacon until crisp.  Reserve the bacon drippings.  Crumble bacon once cool.

Place brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and toss with bacon drippings, salt pepper and nutmeg.  Roast for 15-20 min.

Break corn muffins into bite-size pieces and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 min, stirring occasionally until golden brown and crispy.

Meanwhile, add onion to pan and cook over medium-high heat until caramelized.

Just before serving, toss brussels sprouts with 1/4 of the crumbled bacon, caramelized onions and corn muffin crumbs.  If desired, use chicken stock to moisten mixture.  Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with remaining crumbled bacon.


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## cave76 (Dec 20, 2013)

Thanks to everyone for their way of cooking Brussels Sprouts. I love them; a close friend doesn't. I'm trying different ways to cook them.


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## Zagut (Apr 23, 2015)

Brussels Sprouts were on sale this week and they looked fresh.

(Disclaimer... I love Brussels Sprouts )


I tried an experiment. 


Tempura Batter, Deep Fried, Several choices of dipping sauce.


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## jennyema (Apr 23, 2015)

This has been a hit lately...

Very thinly thinly sliced BS, like cole slaw, sautéed with similarly sliced red and yellow peppers and some finely diced shallots.  Aggressively seasoned.

Also, and I might have posted above, bubble and squeak with BS instead of cabbage.


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## Cheryl J (Apr 23, 2015)

Zagut said:


> Brussels Sprouts were on sale this week and they looked fresh.
> 
> (Disclaimer... I love Brussels Sprouts )
> 
> ...


 
How was it?  I'm interested.  What were your dipping sauces?  Like others have mentioned over the past, I like them shredded in a slaw, or fried tender crisp with bacon and onions, etc.  Not just boiled, like my mom and gma used to do to the poor things.....


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 24, 2015)

They're good roasted, *Cheryl*.


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## Mad Cook (Apr 24, 2015)

I often steam them and serve with a cheese or an onion béchamel-type sauce poured over.

They are good lightly steamed and finished by sautéing quickly in butter with sliced almonds or cooked chestnuts (you can buy them cooked in cans, jars or vac-packed). 

But then, I love BS. I think the knack is not to cook them too much - they need to have a bit of a bite so 8-10 minutes max. Cooked too much and they become bitter. One of my grandmothers used to boil them hard for nearly an hour! Fortunately, other grandmother and my mother were good cooks so I was "dragged up proper" in the kitchen! Also don't cut an "X" in the base of the stalk - it makes them soggy and takes away a lot of the flavour (ah, so _that's_ why they do it!).

Try thinking of them as Jane Grigson describes them in her Veg Book - 

".... an elegant miniature cabbage". 

Thomas Jefferson planted them at Monticello in 1812. Given his penchant for vegetables and his garden, he probably brought them back with the him with all the plants he brought back from Europe so he must have thought them worth the effort.


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## Cooking Goddess (Apr 24, 2015)

Long cooking does, um, "enhance" the attributes that chase people from them, I think. Since quicker-is-better, I try to find the smallest sprouts I can buy. I found packages of teeny ones a month or so back at a store I'll stop in sometimes. Not only were they the size of the small marbles, but they were perfectly sweet AND Brussels sprout-y. If all I can find are large ones, I'll cut them in half, especially if I'm frying them in bacon fat.


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## taxlady (Apr 24, 2015)

I don't cook Brussels sprouts often, because Stirling gets nauseous when he smells them*. When I do, I do usually cut the cross in the stem, but I steam them. I have never noticed them getting soggy.

* There was an incident in his childhood with an entire field of Brussels sprouts which was on fire.


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## Dawgluver (Apr 24, 2015)

No way, no how, uh-uh would I eat these shrunken little heads of yuck.  Feel free to bathe me in rutabegas, turnips, radishes, cilantro, sauerkraut, any other vegetable (other than sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows), just not BS.

I'm happy that others eat and enjoy them!


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## Mad Cook (Apr 24, 2015)

pacanis said:


> Yes, fresh. I don't eat them often enough to buy frozen, so I'll buy a small amount in the produce aisle and have them in two or three meals. Frozen would end up being a bag of frost.


 Much as I love BS, frozen ones are nasty. They are soggy before you even think about cooking them.


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## Cheryl J (Apr 24, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> They're good roasted, *Cheryl*.


 
Yes, I love them roasted, too.


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## Caslon (Apr 24, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> No way, no how, uh-uh would I eat these shrunken little heads of yuck.  Feel free to bathe me in rutabegas, turnips, radishes, cilantro, sauerkraut, any other vegetable (other than sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows), just not BS.
> 
> I'm happy that others eat and enjoy them!



I've not had them since living at home with the folks, but I miss having BS steamed, coated with butter and sprinkled with some salt and lots of pepper, they are pretty good tasting. I think we used to have roast beef with them.


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## Mad Cook (Apr 25, 2015)

Caslon said:


> I've not had them since living at home with the folks, but I miss having BS steamed, coated with butter and sprinkled with some salt and lots of pepper, they are pretty good tasting. I think we used to have roast beef with them.


Hoo-rah! Another member of the Brussels Sprouts Appreciation Society.


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## Selkie (Apr 25, 2015)

Cut into two; steam until tender but not limp; sautee flat side down until caramelized; serve with a dressing of EVOO-a dash of liquid mustard-lemon juice-pinch of sugar.


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## CarolPa (Apr 26, 2015)

At one time during my working life I worked for a wholesale grocery warehouse and my job was to pay the bills for the produce department.  I used to get so hungry for a salad or some vegetables looking at those invoices every day.  One day I got so hungry for brussels sprouts I bought some on the way home and cooked them that night.  It was too many brussels sprouts.  They made me sick, and I couldn't even think about a brussels sprout for years.  Thankfully, I got over it, and I am back to loving brussels sprouts again, in proper portions.  LOL


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## Zagut (Apr 28, 2015)

Cheryl J said:


> How was it?  I'm interested. What were your dipping sauces? Like others have mentioned over the past, I like them shredded in a slaw, or fried tender crisp with bacon and onions, etc. Not just boiled, like my mom and gma used to do to the poor things.....


 
They were very tasty. 
But what isn't when it's deep fried. 

The dipping sauces were a honey mustard concoction, a soy/ginger/garlic concoction, ranch dressing, and a horseradish mayo concoction. 

If you like your Brussels sprouts on the soft side you might consider par cooking them a little first. 



Dawgluver said:


> No way, no how, uh-uh would I eat these shrunken little heads of yuck. Feel free to bathe me in rutabegas, turnips, radishes, cilantro, sauerkraut, any other vegetable (other than sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows), just not BS.
> 
> I'm happy that others eat and enjoy them!


 
Cilantro!!!! 

I'm one of those "Tastes like soap" people. 



Mad Cook said:


> Hoo-rah! Another member of the Brussels Sprouts Appreciation Society.


 


We can never have too many members.


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## dcSaute (Apr 28, 2015)

Selkie said:


> Cut into two; steam until tender but not limp; sautee flat side down until caramelized; serve with a dressing of EVOO-a dash of liquid mustard-lemon juice-pinch of sugar.



yup.  I have created a number of converts.
works like this:


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