AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: The Stars Aligned (Recipe: Pompano with Clementine Ginger Relish) DATE: 2/02/2010 09:03:00 PM ----- BODY:
Picture Credit: Land Big Fish
Now that I’m a food blogger, I view meal-time differently – no longer is it about nourishing myself nor gathering with friends for an engaging repast; it’s an occasion to tell a story. And as I prepare my dinner, I think about what that story might be, whether it’s the vegetables from the garden, a trip to Asia or the fish I’m cooking.

Dinner the other night was brimming with stories.

I was driving home my milking experience and stopped en route at my favorite fish store. As I scanned the case, I noticed whole pompano. It’s a fish I’ve only eaten once, and probably 25 years ago. The recipe I prepared came from the Time-Life Cookbooks; I served it with kiwi and Jerusalem artichoke. The memory is etched in my mind of one of my favorite fish, though I’ve never eaten it since. I had to purchase it and remind myself what so enticed me.

When I got home, the ground had thawed again, allowing me to harvest more Brussels sprouts. These prized jewels would make a lovely accompaniment to the fish. Trying to get out of my bacon-rut, I opted instead for a relish of clementines and ginger. I still had a few citrus left in the case I bought, and they were on the verge of rotting… a relish would be a quick and easy way to use them up.

And, of course, I had to use the milk – fresh from the cow, only hours old. The dairy manifested itself into wonderfully light and butter spaetzle.

The story of my dinner may be incoherent, but the meal was eloquent and divine!

Broiled Pompano with Clementine Relish and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(spaetzle recipe coming soon.......)
1 whole pompano, filleted
3 clementines
1 shallot, peeled and diced fine
1 tbs. minced ginger
1/4 cup Chinese Rice Wine
2 tbs. butter
1 sprig fresh tarragon, or 1/2 tsp. dried
olive oil
canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cut Brussels sprouts in half.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer, cut side down.  Roast in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, or until crusty brown on the bottom.
2.  Meanwhile, section the clementines, removing the white membrane.
3.  Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Season fish with salt and pepper.  Add a thin layer of canola oil to the pan.  Gently place fish in the pan, skin side up.  Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, or until brown edges are visible around the fillets.  Flip the fillets, and cook for two minutes more.  Remove fish from pan, and set aside in a warm place.
4.  To the fish pan, add the shallots and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes or until they soften.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, and reduce.  Remove from heat and swirl in butter.  Stir in the clementines and tarrgagon.

Serve fish with Brussels sprouts and clementines drizzled on top. 


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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:2/02/2010 10:59:00 PM Wow that turned out beautiful especially with the citrus relish...love it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:2/03/2010 08:08:00 PM You're still harvesting those Brussels sprouts? Amazing! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:2/04/2010 05:46:00 AM Eventually, you'll start to spot the chapters and the pages of your story! :-) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Melissa DATE:2/07/2010 12:46:00 PM On the contrary, it's a lovely example of all the elements you had at your disposal, coming together to form a great meal.

I love whole pompano - had it once at a Thai place. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Cayman Scuba and Snorkeling Journal DATE:3/03/2010 12:14:00 PM Can't wait to try this recipe. I've seen a few pompano swimming around while I was snorkeling in Grand Cayman ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Winter Break (Recipe: Brussels Sprouts "Carbonara") DATE: 1/20/2010 04:42:00 AM ----- BODY:

Perhaps my biggest gardening challenge is that I want to grow more vegetables than I have room for in my tiny little patch. The upshot is that I crowd my plants, trying to squeeze as much in as possible, and my vegetables tend to be smaller since they don’t have as much room to spread out and grow.

So my plants are smaller than the “supermarket size” benchmark. As I harvest throughout the season, I try to thin the plants so that the survivors will have more room to grow. And I try to hold out and wait until the vegetables get bigger. With Brussels sprouts, I have an additional challenge: the weather. I want them to get decent sized, but also survive a few day frost to help sweeten these petite cabbages.


This year, winter arrived with a vengeance, and I didn’t have a chance to harvest all the Brussels sprouts before they were buried in a layer of snow. And while the snow melted off the plants, they never fully defrosted so that I could cut them off the stock… until this weekend.

I had about a 5 hour window on Saturday, after the temperatures had been above freezing for 2 days and the plants had thawed, and before the next cold front passed through. I harvested enough for a delightful meal. The rest will wait until the next thaw.

Brussels Sprouts “Carbonara”
I had intended to make a carbonara style pasta dish, substituting Brussels Sprouts for the spring peas. But as I rummaged through the refrigerator, I discovered I had run out of bacon. I did have smoked chicken in the freezer, so I added that instead – giving the dish a meaty, smoky, rich flavor. And in an attempt to keep my diet healthy, I added just a few tablespoons of cream to keep the pasta moist, but didn’t make it rich and gooey as is more traditional.

½ pound pasta
2 chicken thighs, smoked, or two slices of bacon, diced
Brussel sprouts
2 tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, ch
Pinch chili flakes
3 tbs. cream
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – at least 1/4 cup, but use more if you’d like.
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt.
2. Meanwhile, cut Brussels in half. Toss them with olive oil (or bacon if using), salt and pepper. But them in the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
3. Boil pasta for 1 minute less than the package instructions.
4. After the Brussels have roasted 15 minutes, toss them with garlic and chili flakes. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes to toast the garlic.
5. Drain pasta. Toss with cream, Parmesan. Add chicken and Brussels. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (and lemon juice)


I'm submitting this to January's "Grow Your Own" round-up.  Originally, started by Andrea of Andrea's Recipes, Nate and Annie have picked up hosting responsibilities.  

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Peter M DATE:1/20/2010 06:24:00 AM This is a fab twist on this pasta favourite! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:1/20/2010 09:06:00 AM I'm jealous that you grow your own Brussels sprouts, and this is a fantastic makeover of the traditional pasta dish. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Ravenous Couple DATE:1/20/2010 09:43:00 AM so glad you're able to save the brussel sprouts...it's really rare to ever see the entire stalk like that. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:1/20/2010 01:58:00 PM What a cool recipe with a twist! NIce. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Unknown DATE:1/20/2010 03:57:00 PM Last Sunday, I went out in the snow, after dark, and harvested a small stalk of Brussels sprouts to serve to old friends from Hoboken. They are adventurous in their food consumption and great culinary creators......but alas, no room for a garden of their own. Those were delicious, but like your own crop, on the small side as I planted them in September. It was worth the wait! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Reeni DATE:1/20/2010 07:31:00 PM Who could resist this? Even a dedicated Brussels sprouts hater would cave! It sounds incredible! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Melissa DATE:1/22/2010 12:59:00 AM Man, I would love this. I assume small and frosted and defrosted didn't mean they lost any flavor. You didn't indicate that it did. That seems so funny to me. I know nothing of gardening, but I will be getting a house in about 18 months and I'm going to be asking for advice! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Julia DATE:1/22/2010 07:28:00 AM Peter M, T.W. and noble pig - Thanks! Though, I'm thinking it was quite generous to call it "Carbonara"

Ravenous Couple -- The stalks are showing up more and more in the market, though usually not this late into the season (winter).

Pegmal -- your friends are lucky that you could share with them.

Reeni - never understood how someone could dislike brussels -- especially the frost bitten which are sweeter.

Melissa -- all the could actually improved the flavor -- made them sweeter. And surprisingly, the texture didn't suffer either. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Always the Bridesmaid (Recipe: Squash Gnocchi) DATE: 11/29/2009 11:58:00 AM ----- BODY:


About 2 months into culinary school, my ego was convinced I should be a better cook. I began experimenting with recipes that I previously would never have dreamed about trying…. For Passover I decide to make a whole salmon stuffed with a trio of mousses: spinach, red pepper and potato. I imagined a most impressive presentation with spirals of tricolored mousses contrasting the orange salmon. I shed a few tears as my brother-in-law tried to encourage me through the process.

A few months later at my uncle’s house, I attempted squash gnocchi. They weren’t much better. Thankfully, the audience was equally supportive as I tried to fumble my way through dinner.

Though, I’ve mastered many complicated dishes since graduating from culinary school, I still harbor a little trepidation about squash gnocchi. These winter vegetables straddle into the “starch” classification, but don’t have the binding qualities that Idaho potatoes have, making them more challenging than regular potato for gnocchi and other dumplings. And like the spinach and bell peppers of the mousse fiasco, they have a high water content which requires extra flour as a binder, and can cause leaden dumplings.

A few weeks ago, I decided to tackle the squash gnocchi again. I figured that 20 years was enough time to get over the old wounds and develop a repertoire of skills to get me through.

My first attempt was a mediocre at best… based on my research, I thought I’d be able to roll out the gnocchi by hand as I do with regular potato. The dough was so wet that I kept adding flour and more flour… to the point that I knew I’d have dense dumplings (and based on the comments from my matzah ball post, I know that a loud minority actually prefer this).

Attempt #2: I got the brilliant idea to pipe the dough into the boiling water. This allowed for a wetter, lighter dough, and worked much better. I served these with roast duck, but the duck skin cracklings stole the show.

Since I wanted to blog about these, I recreated this recipe for Thanksgiving. And as delicious as they were, they were upstaged a second time. This time, I tossed them with Brussels sprouts from the garden which were roasted with bacon.

The dumplings are great, but are easily upstaged.


Squash Gnocchi
1 butternut squash
1 acorn squash
1 ½ cup flour
2 eggs
½ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder (optional)
1 cup chicken broth or 2 tbs. butter
1. Cut squash in half. Put on a baking sheet, cut side down. Add water to the pan, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until squash are tender. It may be necessary to add more water to the pan if it all evaporates.
2. Let squash cool. Scoop out seeds and discard.
3. Scoop out pulp into a food processor and blend until smooth. Measure out one cup of puree (set aside the remainder for soup or another favorite recipe). Add flour, eggs, curry powder, salt and baking powder. Blend in food processor minimally, just until smooth.
4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt.
5. Fill a piping bag with a large plain tip. Fill with gnocchi filling. Gently pipe out ¾” logs, and then cut off into the water with a butter knife. Boil for 2 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon into a dish with either the butter or chicken broth (this will keep the dumplings from sticking together before serving.
6. It may be necessary to cook the dumplings in batches.
Serve with Brussels sprouts, duck or turkey.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Melissa DATE:11/29/2009 09:03:00 PM I can imagine that they would be upstaged by the things you served them with. But I admire your perseverance. I'm starting to tackle some things that I couldn't make even two years ago. It's always good to come back and try again. :) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:11/29/2009 09:44:00 PM You know what they say about getting back up on the horse.... Maybe I should try making pita bread again. It's been at least a decade since I tried it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:11/30/2009 08:51:00 PM I love the idea, and I know you will meet your standard someday! I'd be happy to serve as part of the tasting panel! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Rate This Recipe! DATE:12/01/2009 06:13:00 PM I love squahs, this looks delicious. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Julia DATE:12/02/2009 08:11:00 AM Melissa -- it's fun to nail a new recipe. I'm glad to see you branching out more.

Lydia -- I don't know, you could wait another few years.. ;-) I actually just tried pita for the first time this year with varying success. Peter F. has a great recipe!

T.W. -- Great, happy to have you taste test.


Rate this recipe - thanks. And thanks for visiting. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Finger Lickin' Good (Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken) DATE: 10/20/2009 11:09:00 AM ----- BODY:
I went to bed last night stuffed to the gills, but also a little giddy about the left-overs I’d have for lunch today. Dinner was that good!

How could I have not loved it? It was fried chicken, after all. And my love affair with fried chicken – from Popeyes to General Gau’s – is well documented. The recipe came from a recent article in the New York Times about fried chicken that showcased variations of the classic Southern as well as a Korean version.

I didn’t have the Korean chili paste that the recipe called for. But with a little research, I discovered that it is a spicy bean paste. I had sriracha (Thai Chili Paste) and sweet bean sauce (a Chinese condiment), and blended the two. I used my homemade ketchup which had a nice balance of warm spice.

I’ve struggled over the years to get my general gau’s chicken to stay crispy after it’s been tossed in the sauce. Only once did I achieve that. With this recipe, the chicken is tossed in a mix of corn starch *and* wheat flour. This made a huge difference in crisp-maintenance.

Traditional Fried Chicken is often served with cole slaw. Inspired by Cooking with Amy’s recipe for raw Brussels sprouts, I made an Asian flavored slaw with shredded brussels sprouts.

Korean Fried Chicken
Adapted from Quick and Easy Korean Cooking by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee

Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour’s marinating

1 small yellow onion, peeled and coarsely grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallions, cut into rings
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating
8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered
3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang), or a blend of Chinese Bean Sauce and Sriracha
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch

1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, 1/2 of the scallions, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.

3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.
5. When all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.





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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger grace DATE:10/20/2009 03:58:00 PM sriracha-spiced fried chicken sounds DELICIOUS. i think your substitutions for the paste sound like they'd create the perfect flavor on those pieces o' poultry. great twist! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:10/20/2009 07:01:00 PM I'm lickin' my fingers over here too, it sounds so good. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous jo DATE:10/20/2009 08:16:00 PM Mmm. I also adore tori karagee as well. Fried chicken cannot be scoffed at. I can tell you form experience that Korean chili flakes taste an awful lot like Aleppo pepper. Sticky and smoky with a good heat level instead of the in your face of Italian and California chili pepper. I'll pick you up a container of the chili paste next time I hit Kan Man or Hmart. I have date with my favourite 13 year old foodie on Friday to hit the new Hmart! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Sarah DATE:10/20/2009 09:06:00 PM This sounds GREAT - I too love fried food . . . and spicy fried chicken is the greatest. I have to admit, I'm afraid to deep-fry at home - maybe this will get me over it? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Reeni DATE:10/21/2009 12:25:00 PM This looks excellent! Love the spiciness of it. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Juliana DATE:10/21/2009 02:39:00 PM This chicken sounds and looks delicious, full of flavor, yummie! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger adele DATE:10/21/2009 06:08:00 PM Sounds delicious. :) ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Sprouting Brussels Sprouts DATE: 10/12/2009 01:45:00 PM ----- BODY:
Every year, I grow Brussels sprouts. The first time I saw a stalk of Brussels sprouts at the farmers' market, I was intrigued… I’ve always enjoyed eating them, and decided that such a beautiful plant deserved coveted real estate in my garden.

Indeed, when planning my garden, I factor in many things: what will the yield be per square foot, how much money will I save, how much better will it taste for being home-grown? Brussels sprouts barely merit growing for these reasons, but the sheer novelty of the plant warrants space.

In past years, my sprouts have never achieved “supermarket size.” Is it because I crowd the plants, constricting the root growth and hence the plant – limiting the amount of nutrients the roots can suck up from the soil? Or perhaps, I need to lop off the top to push the nutrients back down into the budding sprouts.


This year I did both. I measured precisely 36 inches between each plant. And last week, after I cleared away all the remaining tomato plants, I cut off the top tuft of leaves. I’m wondering, should I also strip away the leaves, giving the buds more room to grow?

I know the brussels sprouts will taste sweeter after the first frost, but some of the buds are sprouting open. If I don’t harvest them now, I won’t have any to eat, sweet or not.

A little nibble at the leaves tells me they’re still a little bitter, so I roasted them with sweet potatoes and bacon to balance the flavors.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Sage

1 slice bacon
1 sweet potato
Handful of brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 tbs. olive oil.
Salt and pepper
Fried Sage

1. Dice bacon. Put in an ovenproof dish and into a 425 oven.
2. Meanwhile, peel and cubed sweet potatoes.
3. Toss sweet potatoes with bacon, season with salt and pepper, and return to oven. Roast until browned and soft.
4. In a separate pan, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, slat and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until tender and caramelized on the bottom.
5. Mix the two together. Garnish with fried sage.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Heather DATE:10/12/2009 04:30:00 PM mmm. sounds delicious! i love brussel sprout plants. they're started selling them on the stalk still at my grocery store! so pretty! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:10/12/2009 08:53:00 PM I know what you mean - I was tranfixed by long stalks (?) of brussels sprouts at a farmers market in the Pacific Northwest recently. And, nothing beats a perfectly cooked, sweet sprout. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous noble pig DATE:10/13/2009 03:30:00 PM I love them on pizza! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:10/13/2009 05:35:00 PM Cooking with Amy has a great recipe for Brussels sprouts slaw today. Raw Brussels sprouts -- who knew? ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Wintered Brussels Sprouts DATE: 3/23/2009 07:33:00 AM ----- BODY:
With only a handful of Brussels sprouts still growing on the stalk, I wanted just the right recipe to make the most of this special treat. Having recently come across some great ideas in the food-blogosphere, I opted to deviate from my usual Roasted with Bacon.

I combined two recipes: Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots and Bacon from Evil Chef Mom with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar from White on Rice Couple.

2 slices bacon, diced
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 brussels sprouts, sliced.
2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium skillet, add bacon. Cook over low heat until the fat starts to release. Continue cooking until there's about 1 tbs. of rendered fat.
2. Turn heat to high and add shallots. Cook, stirring regularly, until shallots and bacon start to brown. Drain off excess fat.
3. Add brussels sprout leaves. Cook until they turn bright green, about 2 minutes.
4. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger adele DATE:3/23/2009 10:50:00 AM Mmm. Sounds tasty.

Did wintering change the flavor of the brussels sprouts? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Sara DATE:3/23/2009 03:22:00 PM I love brussels sprouts in almost any preparation, but I think roasted might be my favorite! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Melissa DATE:3/24/2009 02:03:00 AM I really want to make that one of Krysta's, and have it printed out as a final hurrah to the sprouts for this week (hopefully). But you combining it with Todd and Diane's is pure genius and looks ridiculously awesome. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Dewi DATE:3/24/2009 04:07:00 PM Julia, this brussel sprouts look really delicious. I am lucky to live in California, I can get brussel sprouts all year round.
Cheers,
elra ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Julia DATE:3/24/2009 04:27:00 PM Adele -- they were incredibly sweet.

Sara -- Roasted is great! Even better with bacon ;-)

Melissa -- Can't wait to hear about your brussels.

Elra -- you are lucky! I'm so envious of the fresh produce available year-round in CA. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Heather DATE:3/24/2009 07:50:00 PM mmmmmm bacon. the perfect accompaniment for.... anything ;) ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Peef DATE:3/24/2009 07:54:00 PM Yum. I'm a huge fan of brussels... and this looks like a winning recipe. Nice skill in combining the two! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:3/24/2009 09:49:00 PM Is it possible to make great Brussels sprouts without bacon? I usually roast my Brussels sprouts (no bacon involved), and while they are good, they're not great. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Julia DATE:3/25/2009 06:57:00 AM Heather -- you said it, sista!

Peef -- Thanks for visiting my blog.

Lydia -- Have you tried turkey bacon? A non-pork eating friend swears by chestnuts... a nice meaty smoky flavor. ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Brussels Sprouts DATE: 11/17/2008 06:09:00 PM ----- BODY:
Brussels sprouts are the number one underrated vegetables, with beets coming in a close second. Of course, I love them both, perhaps because they are perfect vehicles for bacon. Or that they are both nutritional powerhouses. It wouldn’t be beyond me to love them because they are both beautiful: brussel sprout plants are so fun, and beet puree – how can you not love that color??

This year, I planted 4 stalks. All survived the aphid attacks on the brassicas, though one plant’s growth was stunted because it was sowed into what became a rather shady spot. The sprouts grow just above the leaves. You can harvest the sprouts when they are just ¼ inch in diameter or you can wait until they are larger. Since the sprouts don’t uniformly grow at the same rate, its best to harvest just the ones that are the desired size. While the whole stalk makes an impressive presentation at the Farmer’s market, it’s not the most practical.

My favorite preparation is roasted with bacon and horseradish, though the olive oil roasted brussels sprouts at Toro fall into a close second. Blanch the sprouts first in salted boiling water and toss with rendered bacon. Roast the brussel sprouts with the bacon in a 450 oven until the sprouts are tender. Toss with prepared horseradish.

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----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:11/17/2008 11:13:00 PM I'm not a Brussels sprouts lover, generally, but I do like them slow-roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:11/18/2008 07:50:00 AM Do you wrap your brussel sprouts in aluminum foil when roasting them? ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Anonymous Anonymous DATE:11/18/2008 12:41:00 PM Yum! I just had Brussels sprouts last night. Although a little labor intensive - I decided to peel off the individual leaves that I could easily remove and then slice what was left into thin moon shapes. I quickly sauteed the leaves and moons for 2-3 mins and then added them to mixture of fluffy quinoa and other various veggies. Delish! This was a great healthy meal and the Brussels sprouts are what made it! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Melissa DATE:11/18/2008 05:47:00 PM I love Brussels sprouts and I have been dying to roast them. I've only recently discovered the whole roasting thing with vegetables anyway, and MAN, it brings out some sweet, sweet flavors. I imagine the Brussels sprouts roasted would be magic. Maybe I can even get Steve to try them... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Julia DATE:11/18/2008 08:28:00 PM Lydia, With good olive oil, you can't beat that!

Professor N: I don't. They get slimy that way ;)

Ellie, I like that idea... and I bet they cook quicker too.

Melissa, Just add some bacon, and I'm sure Steve will eat them. It makes anything more enticing. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:Blogger Bernz DATE:11/20/2008 12:02:00 PM Baby sized.Olive oil. salt. pepper. little bit of nutmeg. Roasted.

Or.

Blanched and then sauteed in butter. ----- --------