When I wrote this piece (Meatless in Cleveland) about how Lyn and I were eating more healthy foods, it foretold my response to something simple – and profound: a big ol' bunch of . . . Brussels sprouts. Once upon a time, I would have shrugged. Now, motivated to eat more vegetables, I couldn't take my eyes off this prize Lyn brought home from the grocery store: the biggest bunch of sprouts I'd ever seen. It fit right into our continuing move toward healthier eating; it was cause for celebration, one worthy of photographs and immediate firing of the oven.
I've eaten Brussels sprouts for as long as I can remember, told that they're loaded with what's good for you. "I eat them anyway," I used to joke.
I began treating them with a little more respect back in the 1970s after my Barbadian friend and Columbia University Journalism School classmate Richard Harewood invited me to Brooklyn for a family dinner featuring "little cabbages," as the Harewoods called them. The term is apt, as the sprouts are in the same family that includes cabbage, kale, broccoli and collards. These are all fine greens, chock full of vitamins and fiber.
The Brooklyn meal showed me that, in addition to their being good for us, they're also good to us, especially the way Richard's mother prepared them, using a recipe that I told Lyn about years later, a recipe we have now made our own: Unwashed, the little cabbages are halved, coated with olive oil and roasted in the oven at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When they're done we toss them with a dressing of olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.
Served hot, they make you oink with pleasure.
After we devoured the first batch off the big stalk, Lyn said: "With this amount, we're going to be eating a whole lot of Brussels sprouts."
"What a shame," I said with a wink in my voice.
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Oh stop, you are making me hungry. I loves them little cabbages.
ReplyDelete. . . and you can eat till you bust and feel righteous because they're good for you.
DeleteOink with pleasure?? Oh my.
ReplyDeleteI stayed away from what I thought were bitter, nasty little cabbages until I had them fresh and roasted (probably in a similar fashion to your recipe) at a local restaurant several years ago. What a transformation. Thanks for bringing back that memory --- Brussels sprouts will be on the menu here in Bloomfield. Fresh ones, roasted, as you highlight. Oink.
Never, ever did I think I'd be pigging out on a vegetable with a reputation for being healthful. Until that recipe. To the oink. Cheers.
DeleteI've eaten Brussels sprouts once and it was a sour, bitter experience. They were horrible! They've always made me suspicious. I expect to see a voodoo witch doctor with a bag of shrunken heads standing next to them, begging me to eat them. But since you've survived with your head intact, maybe I'll give them a try. :o)
ReplyDeleteHave them my way, and you'll fall under a delicious spell.
DeleteOh, yes! I love brussels sprouts. Roasted is great, but try braised - it's even better!
ReplyDeleteBraised sounds good, Jasom. I'm game. Thanks.
DeleteWhat a coincidence-I roasted brussel sprouts with carrots for dinner last night. Roasting definitely brings out the best in some vegetables. If you really want to oink, toss them with some crumbled cooked bacon. Yum!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, synchronized palates. With bacon? Indeed, yum. And oink. 'Preciate the suggestion.
DeleteWell, how delicious roasted Brussels sprouts look! For years we ate them, but not liking them very much. We even grew them in the garden along side broccoli and cabbage, which grow well in the South if you get an early start in late Winter. I never thought about roasting them.
ReplyDeleteNow, maybe I will try again. Especially if I could find such a prize as the big bunch of fresh ones Lyn brought home!
Cheers to vegetables!
You probably can find a big bunch down there in Alabama, Barbara. In any case, let me know if you try roasting them. Happy eating.
DeleteStems of Brussels sprouts are sold at our Farmer's Market. They are only picked after the first frosts.
ReplyDeleteUsed to be the only way I could punish my son! The only food he dislikes. Now my daughter LOVES them, especially baked with pecans and lemon.
We just had them for dinner tonight - before I read your recipe. Now I'll have to try this!YUM!
And I'll try *your* recipe. Enjpy!
DeleteOK, I'll bite: Why unwashed?
ReplyDeleteI don't want to add any water, which may steam rather than roast. I remove the outer layer of leaves (the public layer) as a nod toward getting rid of bad stuff and hope oven heat does the rest. In the end, it's a personal preference, not necessarily based on culinary science.
DeleteThat's how I prepare mine, too, Lee. Talk about guilt-free deliciousness. Oven roasting brings out the sweetness and the other subtle flavors. I can often find them sold on stalks at our famers' market, but even when I have to buy them the old, boring way, they're still one of our standby veggies.
ReplyDeleteNo question, this is the food you can eat till you bust. Then, when you recover, do it again. No harm, no foul.
DeleteYou're making healthy eating look wonderfully easy and delicious! Love these photos and now I want brussels sprouts for supper :) (I always thought they were spelt "brussel" sprouts, never noticed the extra "s" until now.)
ReplyDeleteSuspicious, isn't it. Good-looking, good-tasting, annnd good for you. Glad you like the photos.
DeleteThanks for sharing your recipe, Lee! I am making this tonight. It's so nice to see a simple, healthy recipe for brussels sprouts (I learned something new with Rosemary about the "s" on the end). Most of the brussels sprout recipes I've seen call for bacon, sugar, etc. Thanks again for sharing. :-)
ReplyDelete