News Flash: I Like Brussels Sprouts

No, let me correct that - LOVE them! Brussels sprouts are one of those things I just always "knew" I didn't like and I wasn't ever going to eat them. I'm not even sure I ever even tried them as a kid - we didn't eat a whole lot of "green" vegetables except for green beans when I was growing up because that's what my mom likes. I think I just turned my nose up at them as being icky without giving them a shot.

But with the holiday issues of all my magazines, there were so many recipes that made Brussels sprouts sound tempting - made with lots of cream or bacon, of course. So when making last week's meal plan and grocery list, I asked Ryan what he thought about trying Brussels sprouts. "Oh, I love them" he says. Seriously, in almost 4 years of dating and more than 2.5 of me asking him all the time if there's anything he'd like me to make for dinner, he never once mentions that he happens to LOVE Brussels sprouts?

I couldn't decide if I wanted to a sort of carmelized sprout with bacon and onion or a baked dish with cream. I opted for a mix of both, drawing from recipes on 101cookbooks and orangette. I didn't want to completely negate the healthfulness of the vegetables, so I kept the cream to a minimum and tried not to use excessive amounts of olive oil.

And, as mentioned at the beginning of the post, I loved, loved, loved them! It was all I could do to not eat what I'd set aside for the next day's lunch. You can bet Brussels sprouts will be making more appearances in my kitchen from now on.

Being a vegetable and all, this is my contribution to ARF/5-a-day Tuesdays over at Sweetnick's. Check out Cate's site later Tuesday night for the roundup.

Carmelized Brussel Sprouts with Shallots and Cream

(serves 4)

24 Brussels sprouts

a few tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 tblspns cream

small handful grated parmesan

lemon juice (optional)

1. Trim the end off the sprouts and slice them in half vertically. Toss in a bowl with enough olive oil the the cut side of each has oil on it. Season pretty liberally with salt and pepper.

2. Place sprouts, cut side down, in a large pan heated to medium-high. Let sit for about 8 min so they brown.

3. Add shallots and more oil if needed. Stir so the other sides brown up a bit. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, until the sprouts are cooked through and not tough anymore (If needed, turn the heat down to medium/medium-low so the outsides don't get too brown before the insides soften up).

4. Remove from heat and stir in cream and a handful of parmesan. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and squirt in a little lemon juice if you'd like.