Subject: BS: Sprouts From: Girl Friday Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:01 PM I thought that maybe this subject had been up for discussion before, but can't see it. I checked the thread relating to Gas Generators, and it wasn't Brussels Sprouts so here goes. Brussels Sprouts.... I heard them referred to on t.v. as the Grape of The Devil... so.... I humbly ask.... The Food of The Gods... or.... The Grape Of The Devil.... Personally, I think they look more like gooseberries, and I hate them! Over to you Folks.. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Alice Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:05 PM Like little cabbages, good with lots of butter and with salt & pepper sprinkled over top. Neither God Food nor Devil Grape, I'm somewhere in the middle on this one. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: John MacKenzie Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:06 PM I adore Brussels Sprouts. They must be crunchy though, and not boiled to death. I do believe some folks have had them on to cook for the last week, just to make sure they are cooked through. Best thing they can do, is throw the sprouts out, and drink the water that's left. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: MGM·Lion Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:08 PM Dollies' Cabbages, a child I knew once called them. Can't think of a better name. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Kampervan Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:10 PM Don't think of them as sprouts, they're Bonsai cabbages. Far more sophisticated and far less objectionable. Mine have been simmering on a low light since September and they are very nearly ready. Merry Christmas K/van |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: EBarnacle Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:11 PM I used to hate them as a kid. Then, as an adult, I learned to appreciate them sauteed with sesame oil and garlic until they were just singed. Marvelous! |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: VirginiaTam Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:12 PM Fluvanna Cabbages to people living in Albermarle County in Virginia. Because Fluvanna is small by comparison. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: bobad Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:28 PM I grow them in my garden and they are best if left to be hit by a frost or two. This will make them sweeter. As John says, sprouts are best lightly steamed only 'till tender and still bright green, they will be sweet and mild. Unfortunately too many have been traumatized in childhood by being forced to eat terribly overcooked, sulfurous green gobs - get over it. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Becca72 Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:30 PM My absolute favorite veg! I don't put a damned thing on them, either. Naked sprouts mmmmm |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: John MacKenzie Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:35 PM Oh, be still my beating heart! |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: michaelr Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:37 PM Never boil them! Cut them in half and steam until just tender, then sautee with bacon and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Yum! |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Girl Friday Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:37 PM Thanks everyone.. keep the thread going. Though I don't eat them myself, I agree that it doesn't do to overcook them. 10 minutes in the microwave seems ideal. I always cook my veg in the microwave now, it tastes far nicer. All you need to add is a little water. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: CarolC Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:41 PM Food of the gods if steamed from fresh, served with either butter and salt or soaked in a vinaigrette, and grape of the devil if boiled, especially if they were bought frozen. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Bill D Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:50 PM My mother seldom got beyond boiling for most veggies....consequently, I grew up not liking most of them. I have learned that some, done well, can be just fine... including Sprouts. (Though we seldom have them) |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Morticia Date: 24 Dec 09 - 12:54 PM sliced thinly, cooked lightly with pancetta in butter and cream with lots of freshly ground black pepper, nom, nom, nom.... |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Smedley Date: 24 Dec 09 - 01:32 PM Grapes of the Devil is too kind. Satan's testicles is more accurate. I have only once found them remotely edible, and that was when they were pureed into a soup with lots of cream & parmesan. Otherwise: bleeeuuuuugh. Happy Christmas! |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 24 Dec 09 - 01:42 PM I love sprouts, but only if lightly cooked and only if I can eat them almost fresh from the pot. I've given up on taking them to gatherings because (A) lots of people don't like them (B) people who do like them don't all like them cooked the same (C) by the time they get served at a gathering, they're usually lukewarm and soggy, even if they were cooked perfectly to begin with. So I reserve them for more intimate meals... like when I'm eating alone. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Rasener Date: 24 Dec 09 - 01:42 PM I do beleive that if you cook them until they are soggy like my mother used to do (god bless her cotton picking socks.you will fart till the cows come home. In fact if you lit a candle and held it to your bum as you farted, you would become a flame thrower. I love sprouts the way my wife cooks them. Crunchy with bacon bits. Blimey am I looking forward to them tomorrow. My favourite vegetable. I also love roasted parsnips, red cabbage, carrots and green beans. All of that with bread sauce, Turkey, Duck and Venison. Mustn't forget the Yorkshire Puds (with anything). A lovely gravy to go over the top. Yum yum, can't wait until tomorrow. Incidentally, how the F did they become the ownership of Brussels |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: CarolC Date: 24 Dec 09 - 01:51 PM BWL, if you marinate them in a vinaigrette, they don't get soggy after they've been sitting a while. That is, if you don't cook them too much. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 24 Dec 09 - 02:19 PM Little ones, steamed only until they are about to turn "done" instead of firm, and served with melted butter and grated parmesan over the top. When asked, "What shall we have for Christmas dinner?", my grown kids will all start their list of menu requests with Brussells Sprouts. Dave Oesterreich |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Mavis Enderby Date: 24 Dec 09 - 02:19 PM You're making my mouth water Les! Sounds like we do a similar dish to you, sprouts with ham & chestnuts. I love sprouts, but not over cooked. Managed to grow our own crop this year and they are bloody lovely! Merry Christmas to sprout lovers and haters alike! Pete. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: bobad Date: 24 Dec 09 - 02:33 PM Defend your Christmas dinner with this flash game: Attack Of the Killer Sprouts |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Rasener Date: 24 Dec 09 - 02:38 PM Hey Pete, have a good en. I wish you had told me about your home grown sprouts. I would have been paying you a visit :-) Cheers Les |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Rasener Date: 24 Dec 09 - 02:50 PM Nice one Bobad, but I prefer this one http://www.eyegas.com/sproutifarts/ |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Dec 09 - 03:17 PM The sprouts should be small, firm and fresh. Steaming is fine, but I use a variant that might be called 'wok in a pot'. Put a little water in a pot, add pat of butter, powdered thyme, and white pepper. Cut sprouts in half and add to pot. Cover. Heat to high temperature; remove from heat when the water is almost gone. Use care not to burn! Serve with more butter and salt to taste. Requires watching, but the flavor is preserved. |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: open mike Date: 24 Dec 09 - 03:27 PM the word sprouts seems to me to refer to alfalfa sprouts or (mung) bean sprouts...brussel sprouts would be specified by Brussel or Brussels I often make a little "X" in them with a knife so they cook quicker. great with Hollandaise sauce! (what's pancetta??) oh i see it is Italian pork product like bacon but un-smoked i sometimes see them for sale at a produce stand...on the stalk.. it is a brassica or Cole family plant...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout several thousand acres planted in coastal areas of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties of California, (according to Wiki.) i find them in a large produce stand near Monterey... are these connected with a holiday tradition in england? (sort of like mushy peas?? --whatever that is...) |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Liz the Squeak Date: 24 Dec 09 - 03:29 PM Love 'em... in all forms. Tomorrow mine will be lightly steamed then tossed in butter with mushrooms. I think I may be the only one eating them so I'll have them done my way! Sarah Kennedy of Radio 2 says they must be on the boil by April 17th or else they're not ready. Les Barker says they're not meant to be eaten. Put the two together and you get Sarah Kennedy reading 'Sprouts' on 'Guide Cats for the Blind' - a fantastic CD which raises money for Computers for the blind, and at 3 volumes is well worth a copy for your CD library. LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Sprouts From: Liz the Squeak Date: 24 Dec 09 - 03:37 PM Actually it's 4 volumes of 'Guide Cats' now.... as Clive Lever puts it 'We put the Archbishop of Canterbury on the record shelves a full 4 months before the Pope got there'. LTS |
Subject: RE: BS: Brussels Sprouts From: Joe Offer Date: 24 Dec 09 - 04:41 PM Are they called simply "sprouts" anywhere in the world? I've always thought of "sprouts" as seeds that were allowed to form roots, and then eaten before the rest of the plant started growing. I like Brussels sprouts. I usually have no trouble eating them, but I bought a stalk of Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe's, and they made me into a methane factory. Don't know why they would be different from cut Brussels sprouts, which agree with me very well. -Joe- |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Ed T Date: 24 Dec 09 - 04:57 PM Steamed, with butter and vinegar (white, wine, or balsamic) vinegar. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 24 Dec 09 - 05:08 PM Quite like half a dozen, taken 1 by 1 with other elements of the roast on the fork, but certainly no more of this seasonal veg. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 24 Dec 09 - 05:16 PM I think all brassicas (cabbage family crops) cause a bit of methane generation, but it's usually the "country cousins" of the clan (cabbage, kale, collards) that are the worst offenders while their more "sophisticated" relatives (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower) are a bit more civilized. Maybe it has to do with how long they're cooked. The more primitve varieties have to be cooked quite a bit longer to be equally tender. If I were to cook collards for as short a time as I cook broccoli, it'd be like trying to eat a shredded plastic milk jug, only greener. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: GUEST,Roger Knowles Date: 24 Dec 09 - 05:39 PM John McKenzie's quite right. Don't over cook 'em. My dear departed old Mum used to boil sprouts til all the crunch had gone, and then give 'em another hour to be sure they were totally inedible. On thinking about it, she did that to all the vegetables she cooked, apart from potatoes.She wasn't very good at cooking savoury meals. Her apple pie was really good, she just didn't understand vegetables, or meat. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 24 Dec 09 - 06:03 PM John and Roger, right, they should have some of the 'crunch' left. Water removes the flavor as well as much of the mineral and vitamin content. My wife has a sister who visited a while back. She took the broccoli, and to help out with dinner insisted on boiling it to mushiness in a pot of water. Needless to say, nearly all was left after dinner. I threw it out in the lane, thinking that the hares might eat it (common here, having become citified as the subdivisions spread)- it stayed uneaten until it rotted. I think rejected even by insects. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Bat Goddess Date: 24 Dec 09 - 07:16 PM Bonzai cabbages -- I like that! And I really like brussels sprouts, cooked just enough (yes, my Midwestern mother cooked veggies to death, too) and with lots of butter -- sauteed slivered almonds, too. But I want to try the bacon and balsamic vinegar and a couple other things read above. If you parboil frozen brussels sprouts and then let 'em sit in the leftover brine from dill pickles, they are WONDERFUL in a bloody mary. Put a bunch of 'em on a skewer. Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: open mike Date: 24 Dec 09 - 11:30 PM with enough bloody mary's anything tastes great! i prefer my tomato juice bevereges with tequila instead of vodka//bloody maria...but never thought of putting any other veggie besides celery or olive in it thanks for adding brussel to the title, i think that this may be a thread started in the UK and they must not use alfalfa or bean sprouts there as much as in the US |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Backwoodsman Date: 25 Dec 09 - 03:03 AM No need for bacon, balsamic vinegar or any of the other additives listed above, and no boiling, sautee-ing, frying or barbeque-ing. Just lightly steam 'em till they're cooked but still a tad crunchy, season with salt and pepper, then add a generous dollop of turkey-giblet gravy. Ambrosia! (BTW, no need to cut that daft cross in them that seems to have become a fad, it's totally superfluous - they cook just as well without it). IMHO of course! HAPPY CHRISTMAS! :-) |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Rasener Date: 25 Dec 09 - 03:44 AM Happy Christmas to you Backwoodsman. I forgot to say. I love sprouts in bubble and squeek. Hmmmm Yes please. Brussel Sprout bubble and squeak cakes |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Suegorgeous Date: 25 Dec 09 - 06:37 AM Ohhhh my favourite veg! mmmmmmmmmm!!!! |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Wolfgang Date: 25 Dec 09 - 07:23 AM It is so easy to make them taste bitter: boil them in the same water for 18 minutes. If you don't prefer them bitter, split up this time into 2 and 16 minutes of boiling. Pour away the bitter water used in the first two minutes and use fresh boiling water for the last 16 minutes. Wolfgang |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: EBarnacle Date: 25 Dec 09 - 04:54 PM It may not be needed to cut the X but I find that I prefer them when I cut the stem close to "head" of the sprout. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Rasener Date: 25 Dec 09 - 05:35 PM Well I had a large dollop of them on my plate plus loads of stuffing. I could fart for England at the moment |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 25 Dec 09 - 06:45 PM Cutting the cross may be unnecessary, but it's not a fad, it's a tradition. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Paul Burke Date: 25 Dec 09 - 06:46 PM Apparently it's all down to fructans, polymerised fructose, because the human gut doesn't absorb it readily. On the other hand, the gut bacteria, who don't get much sugar (because you do), can use it, and do, most enthusiastically. Hence that which happens. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Bat Goddess Date: 25 Dec 09 - 07:28 PM It's a carminative! (I love that word.) Linn |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: open mike Date: 25 Dec 09 - 08:30 PM bubble and squeak??!!sounds like some sort of chewing gum... A carminative, also known as carminativum (plural carminativa), is an herb or preparation that either prevents formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract, or facilitates the expulsion of said gas, thereby combating flatulence. The English author Aldous Huxley includes a long passage (chapter 20) about the word "carminative" in his novel Crome Yellow. The character Denis explains how unfortunate it is that some words don't mean what they ought to mean |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: CarolC Date: 26 Dec 09 - 12:16 AM We had them a new way (for us) this evening. JtS sauteed some onions in butter until they were caramelized, and he lightly browned the already steamed sprouts in the butter with the onions. We made baked potatoes, put some slices of vintage Australian cheddar on top and let them melt, and then we put the sprouts and onions on top of that. It was perfect. |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Backwoodsman Date: 26 Dec 09 - 03:13 AM "I could fart for England at the moment" We'd make a truly unbeatable team Les! Best nobody stikes a match in our house right now! And green veggies are v. good for diabetics, so double helpings for me! :-) :-) Mike - Bubble and Squeak has a number of variations in recipe, but is usually made by frying a mixture of mashed boiled potato, boiled or steamed cabbage or brussels sprouts (or both!) and, if desired, some onion. It tastes wonderful (especially the brown bits where it's 'caught' on the pan). HP (brown) sauce is the perfect additive. Amazing with some big, fat, juicy Lincolnshire sausages. Yummmmmeeeeee!! |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Mavis Enderby Date: 26 Dec 09 - 04:01 AM It's kind of inevitable that a discussion on sprouts leads to the after effects! In a previous life I had cause to research ...ahem... how shall I put it? ..."gases associated with human waste" and came across this little gem: Suarez et al. Note they used pinto beans to provide the "raw materials" rather than sprouts.... I'm reminded of one of my favourite Bill Bryson quotes, on sampling spa water: "According to a notice by the tap, it is reputedly very good for flatulence, which seemed an intriguing promise, and I very nearly drank some until I realized they meant it prevented it. What an odd notion." Happy holidays folks! Pete. PS - is there a sign up sheet for the England team? |
Subject: RE: BS: (Brussels) Sprouts From: Sooz Date: 26 Dec 09 - 06:47 AM Yesterday we had them lightly steamed but today they are to be sliced and mixed with sliced leaks, then steamed together and finally dressed with a mixture of creme fraiche and whole grain mustard. Scrummy. |