digsandthat.com

DigsMagazine.com make your stomach happy  .

 

 

a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

12.05.2005

home
editor's note 
_____________

DEPARTMENTS
 
o lounge 
o nourish 
 
o host
o
laze
_____________

o BOARDS
o SHOP
o send an ECARD
_____________

about
contact
submit your ideas
support digs
search
links  

 

..
got a food question? jump to the boards

copyright ©1999-2005
DigsMagazine.com.

eat your brussels sprouts 
how to cook Brussels sprouts (and like them too!)

by Yee-Fan Sun
|
1 2 3 4
continued from page 3

lemony Brussels sprouts 
8 oz. Brussels sprouts
2 tsps. olive oil
1 good-sized shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp. lemon zest
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

serves 2 as a side

1 Boil the Brussels sprouts until they're tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. For this recipe, I like to halve the cooked Brussels sprouts, as it ensures that the lemony sauce will have more surface area to cling to; if you're feeling lazy, however, it's fine to leave the sprouts whole.
2 While the sprouts are cooking, zest the lemon and slice the shallot. Add a tsp. of the olive oil to a skillet, and heat it up over medium heat. Add the shallots, lower the heat, and gently cook them until they turn a nice golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. At this point, if the sprouts aren't done, turn off the heat and set the pan of shallots aside.
3 When both the sprouts and shallots are done, add another tsp. of oil to the skillet, and slide in the Brussels sprouts. Stir well to coat the sprouts with oil and shallot. Cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly, then turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest. Add a squeeze of lemon to taste, along with salt and pepper.

o o o

bacony Brussels sprouts
While I like the boiling method because it allows me to see what the sprouts are doing as they cook, braising is another popular way to cook sprouts. Essentially, you quickly sauté the sprouts in a little oil for a couple of minutes, then add a bit of liquid, cover, and simmer until the sprouts have reached their desired tenderness. The braising method produces very flavorful sprouts, as you don't get the waterlogging problem that can occur with boiling.

8 oz. Brussels sprouts
1 slice of bacon
1/4 onion, minced (about ¼ cup)
½ cup chicken or veggie stock

serves 2 as a side

1 Cook up the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until brown and just crispy. Chop the bacon and set it aside. Drain off the bacon fat from the pan, but save it.
2 In the same skillet you used for the bacon (don't bother cleaning it; the leftover bacon bits in the pan add good flavor), sauté the onions in ½ tsp. of the reserved bacon fat for a few minutes, until soft and yummy-smelling (if the mixture seems a little dry you can add in more bacon fat if you have it, or some olive oil). Toss in the Brussels sprouts, and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
3 Pour in the stock, bring the liquid to a bubble, then cover, lower the heat and let things simmer. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until the sprouts are tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; taste a sprout to test for seasoning and doneness, cooking a little longer or adding more salt or pepper as necessary (don't go too nuts on the salt though, as you still have the bacon to add). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the finished sprouts and onions to a serving dish, and sprinkle with the chopped bacon.

o

check out these related articles: 
farmer jo
string beanstomatoesapples + pearsartichokesgingerzucchiniasparagus  | squash it butternut squash | hill o' beans dried beans

---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home.