Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Bite: 3 Different Ways to Cook Brussels Sprouts

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I was one of those weird kids that actually liked brussels sprouts. Back in the 80s my mom would buy them frozen, boil the heck out of them, and slathered them with butter - and they were delicious. But times have changed, brussels sprouts have become popular, and now there are all kinds of ways to prepare them. Here are my top 3:
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Ingredients
1 pound brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed, rough outer leaves of larger sprouts removed
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place brussels sprouts in a cast iron frying pan (or a roasting pan, but a cast iron frying pan will work great for this recipe). Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle Brussels sprouts with lemon juice. Toss with oil so that the sprouts are well coated. Sprinkle generously with salt (at least a half teaspoon) and a few turns of black pepper.

Put brussels sprouts in oven on top rack, cook for 20 minutes, then stir so that the sprouts get coated with the oil in the pan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with Parmesan (if using) and cook for another 5 minutes.

Adjust the timing depending on the size of the sprouts and your particular oven. The sprouts should be nicely browned, some of the outside leaves crunchy, the interior should be cooked through. So if the sprouts look like they are getting too browned (they should be well browned, not burnt), move them to a lower rack or lower the heat.
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1lb. of brussels sprouts (shredded). Traders Joe's has shaved brussels in a bag all ready for you.
1/3 cup of pine nuts (toasted)
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese (grated)
Mix all together with your favorite caesar dressing (or any dressing of your choice)
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For Brussels Sprouts:
Place brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and drizzle with canola oil. Crack some fresh salt & pepper to taste. Mix around brussel sprouts on pan to ensure they all get nicely coated in the oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown on at least one side.

For Aioli:
6 tbs mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic minced fine
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs flat leaf parsley chopped fine

Mix together mayonnaise, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Serve in a ramekin.

Place ramekin of aioli on a plate and surround with brussels sprouts. If serving as an appetizer, put some toothpicks on the side for your guests.

Don't tell me I'm the only one that loves brussels sprouts. How do you like to fix them?

5 comments:

  1. Love this post! I could eat "brussies" everyday, hadn't thought of dipping them!
    http://www.robincharmagne.com/blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dipping them will change your life, lol!!! Let me know once you try it!

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  2. LOVE brussels sprouts! I lightly cook them with a hint of butter and some minced garlic. THEN I dip them in a low fat "bang bang" sauce (light mayo, thai chili sauce and sirachi sauce) YUMMY

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooooo now I'm going to have to try that bang bang sauce!! Thanks for the tip Kelly!!!

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  3. Brussels sprouts are amazing!!!

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