Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Posted by Dacia on Jan 27, 2010 in Photos, Successes, Theories | 0 comments

Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. I’d guess that most people who think they don’t like brussels sprouts have never had super fresh ones lightly sauteed or roasted until crunchy.

The Today Show recently aired a segment on a study that claims 80 percent of people are genetically predisposed to dislike “bitter” foods. On this list, they included brussels sprouts and broccoli. While I am skeptical about the study, what bothers me the most is that someone classifies such delicious veggies as brussels sprouts as bitter! Brussels sprouts are simple not bitter unless you overcook them. You don’t want to cook them until they lose their color—they should be bright green when you pull them off the heat.

My kid may not be the best judge of what’s bitter, as she has always loved sucking on lemons, but brussels sprouts are a hit around here. During the winter, we eat them pretty regularly.

My mom got me a great cookbook called Gastrokid. It’s a book I definitely recommend—full of recipes and inspiration for feeding your family thoughtful and delicious meals. The book has recipes for everything from cauliflower puree to fancy chicken fingers and even octopus. And all of the recipes are simple and straight forward.

I regularly flip through the book looking for ideas, and recently I decided to take their idea and saute some brussels sprouts. It took no time at all to thinly slice the sprouts and saute them in butter. The process was easier than my usual roasting and had the added benefit of not heating up the whole kitchen with a 500 degree oven.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had brussels sprouts, or if you’ve never had them lightly cooked from a fresh state, I recommend giving them a try. Your kid might like them, and so might you. And if you do, you can prove the entire cast of the Today Show wrong. And wouldn’t that make us all happy?