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| via Nathalie Arruda |
I had always heard that brussels sprouts are nasty. From basically, well, everyone. Friends, cookbooks and TV -- and TV never lies, right?
But I wanted to try them. They look so cute! I found a bunch of recipes online and saw over and over again boiled, steamed and whatnot, with a lot of "These are bitter!" comments.
Surely they can't be THAT bad, right? Then I came across a couple that were just quick, on the stove, and they had amazing reviews. More importantly, it mentioned that the reason people hate them so much is they almost always overcook them. Boiling and steaming? Overcooking!
So, I tried their method, and sure enough, these were REALLY, REALLY good. Even better, it's very simple. You need:
- Brussels sprouts, cut in half from base to tip
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
Seriously, that's it.
Warm your pan on the stove on medium-high. If it can't heat dry, put a tiny bit of olive oil on it.
Now, put the chopped sprouts in a bowl, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper, then stir to evenly coat. Or, my preferred method is to put a plate or something over the top and shake them.
Now, place all of them (carefully!) into your pan, cut-side down.
They may pop and jump a little, which I find entertaining.
Check them occasionally to see if they're browned some, like in the pictures above. The bottom photo is about as light of browning as you can get and call them cooked. The top is better! The browner, the better, really.
You kind of want to stop right when you're starting to think, "Um, are these about to burn?" The leaves should be tender, a little darker, and tender, not soggy.
Then serve.
If you don't love these, you'll probably always hate sprouts. Oh, and DO NOT MICROWAVE these to heat them up for leftovers. You will overcook them and make them bitter!
