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Monday, March 19, 2007

Don't Hog all the Brussels Sprouts!

Surprisingly enough, I actually uttered these words in my house the other night. For years we were convinced that we hated Brussels sprouts even though I don't think I had ever even tried one. I finally gave them a go a couple of years ago with this recipe from Rachael Ray, and although we liked them okay, we didn't like them enough for me to run out and buy Brussels sprouts again. Fortunately for us, my sister-in-law, who is always trying to turn us onto new and healthy foods, roasted some for us on her last visit a few weeks ago. We loved them!


Looking for a recipe to follow, I found one from The Barefoot Contessa that sounded pretty much exactly what my SIL had done. It really couldn't be simpler - toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop them into the oven. The key here is a long roasting time - it really mellows and sweetens the brussel sprouts, giving them a fantastic flavor. Mine got a little overly brown so next time I would probably lower the oven temperature a bit (my oven tends to run a little hot, I think), but otherwise they were fantastic. So good, in fact, that I had to instruct my oldest to not take too many and leave some for the rest of us! I hope to find more recipes for roasting brussel sprouts and I'll bet they'd be great on the grill.....mmmm.......can't wait to try that!


In addition to the brussel sprouts, I tried out a new recipe from Giada De Laurentiis that is elegant and goes together in minutes. In the recipe, the salmon and the puff pastry are cooked together on one sheet, making this eve neasier. However, I couldn't get mine to all fit, so I had to use two separate baking sheets. I thought 10 minutes didn't sound like enough cooking time for the salmon, but it was plenty. In fact, mine got a little overcooked because I left them on the baking sheet while I took care of a few other things. Once the salmon and puff pastry are cooked, it's simply a matter of assembling the rest of the ingredients. The presentation is lovely, it tastes great and it's so easy!

3 comments:

  1. Mmmm, brussel sprouts! My favorite way to prepare them (though I've never roasted them like BC, I need to try thatp) is to lightly steam and then pan roast with a little olive oil and whatever seasonings. I also like to toss with some chopped nuts, my favorite being hazelnuts.

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  2. Hello !
    My husband doesn't like them at all !

    I'm Bernie. I'm a French Blogger and I have created a food "community" website : "Croque-en-Bouche" which is a ring that enables anyone to see the last 3 posts of each registered blog , collected by a RSS feeds agregator.

    Here is its english-language "twin sister" under the name : A LAYER CAKE.

    Having a look at "Croque en Bouche" may help you have a better idea of what I am talking about !

    Go to : http://croquenbouche.blogspot.com

    If you think it is a good idea and if you want to share this idea, join us !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robyn - Mm...that sounds good. We'll definitely be experimenting a bit more from now on.

    ReplyDelete