You’ve never had brussels sprouts if you haven’t had roasted brussels sprouts. Years ago, brussels sprouts were probably the only regularly encountered food I didn’t like (pretty much everything else was ok). They were bitter little stinky cabbages with rubbery little leaves, and I didn’t like them at all. When Cati moved in, she got me to hate them less (heck, I even grew to like them). We used to boil them, and that’s not bad as long as they are fresh (never frozen).
Not long ago the Co-op started carrying local organic stalks of the little beauties. One of the ladies I was working with in the cheese section one evening suggested that I try roasting them instead of boiling, and I was intrigued. Roasted/grilled asparagus is better than steamed, so it seemed likely that the improvement would translate. Incidentally, she is the executive chef at a rather large restaurant in downtown Albany. So now we roast ’em, and the flavor is incredible. They are like a healthful and delicious version of french fries. The aroma that comes off while cooking them this way is remarkable. Cook up some local, organic, free-range chicken (and some aioli), and you have a meal fit for a king.
For the brussels sprouts, pre-heat the oven to 400F. Coat the brussels sprouts in some olive oil and place them on a cookie tray. Sprinkle on some coarse sea-salt, and add them to the oven for ~30min. Vigorously shake the cookie-tray (or flip the bulbs with tongs) every 7 minutes or so to roast evenly. Remove, let cool, and enjoy.
We enjoyed the brussels srpouts with some chicken from Misty Knoll Farms (remember them?). We just lightly breaded the chicken and pan-fried.
It was a relatively easy and delicious meal.