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03 December 2005

The Foodie Confessional: Brussels Sprouts

Forgive me, for I have sinned. I consider myself a very open minded person, who also happens to be a foodie & wine lover. Yet, up until my present age of 33 years and six months, I had never in my life eaten a Brussels Sprout. 

Be honest; have you?

Brussels2

I must thank Stephen for his recent Brussels-sprout-palooza, which finally piqued my curiosity enough to try this much maligned winter veggie. The wiki page on B.sprouts is brief but mighty interesting. Some highlights:

  • Brussels sprouts ranked as Britain's most hated vegetable in 2002; yet bounced back to #5 in 2005.
  • When overcooked these stalk-grown veggies release sulphur, which has likely resulted in millions of painful/unpleasant sprout experiences (as an example of this, when the missues saw I was preparing the scourge of her youth for dinner, she promptly began making her own food - "I'm not eating Brussels sprouts" was her refrain).
  • Taxonomically speaking, Brussels sprouts are part of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard and cabbage

This recipe was Stephen's sixth (!!) B.S. creation: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Apples and Onions

I did my level best to avoid overcooking these mini cabbage look-a-likes.  And by, Jove, I did it. The sprouts flavor was decidedly unique & distinct: "bitter-nutty" with a slightly rubbery texture. And kudos to chef Stephen for pairing pungent mustard seeds, dijon mustard, tart apples, bacon and a dash of hot sauce to the sprouts.

On the wine front, I also enjoyed another first. I ate da sprouts with a northern Italian white wine made from the Kerner grape (wine review & description coming soon).

Take an evening this winter and come to terms with your sprout phobia. You'll be a better person for it.

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Comments

cincinnati wine warehouse

As a kid I was over-served Brussel Sprouts (along with lima beans and well-done liver, which I still can't eat) but now love them roasted with butter and a little squeezed lemon. The best part is that most at the house dislike them, so I get more!

jens at cincinnati wine

Andrew

shame on you! glad you have joined the fold now though. I adore sprouts; I think they are generally derided due to grandmothers overcooking them - ie putting them on to simmer in October for Christmas Dinner.

Dave

Brussel sprouts rock!!

As a kid I used to hate them but I can't get enough of them now....yum

Emily

Now that you've hopped aboard the sprout train, be on the lookout for fresh itty-bitty-baby-Brussels. Sublime!

And pairing with Kerner? Great idea. Try Neuburger, too, to pick up that subtle nuttiness.

beau

Jens - I still have nightmares from the liver I was served as a kid (I mostly remember the smell). I might be 43 before I'm able to try liver as an entree again.

Tasty-looking recipe Andrew. I'll have to give it a try during the current cold-snap

Dave - got an Aussie recipe for the sprouty little devils?

Neuburger, eh Emily? That's one of them there foreign grapes, which I still have yet to try. :) It's on the list!

Emily

My favorite thing about Neuburger is the legend behind it, wherein it is fished out of the Danube around 1860 and planted in the Wachau region of Austria. It also goes by the name Gruner Burgunder, which, if you follow the way the other Austrian grape names translate (such as Grauburgunder and Blauburgunder), would then translate to "Pinot Green".

vanessa Chang

bacon makes anything better. even brussels sprouts. i still can't really get into them when they're "clean-cooked" i.e. steaming, boiling. i gotta have that blistered caramelization going on. roasting the sprouts whole in olive oil until they look almost burned is an unexpected treat. a good way to get the roughage.

Rachel De Nys

I had brussel sprouts for the first time last night--they were small, parcooked and then sauteed with pancetta. Soooo good.

beau

Emily - Is Moses, err, Neuburger known outside of the Wachau/Austria?

I agree Vanessa - a little smoked fatty goodness goes a long way. I didn't want to go solo sprouts on my first Brussels experiment.

Rachel - anything else in addition to pancetta & sprouts in your concoction?

Emily

I have not encountered Neuburger wines from anywhere else. Doesn't mean they're not doin' it, though. I can tell you that it's a crossing of Sylvaner and Roter Veltliner, which might be a clue in case someone is calling it something else somewhere else that I don't know about.

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