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News and Opinion from Anne Barone to Keep You Chic & Slim
5 November 2015 (updated 2 December 2018)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic
What a difference in taste roasting in olive oil with garlic and a garnish of balsamic vinegar can make to Brussels sproouts.
In the photo above, our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat shops for Brussels sprouts at Borough Market, London, during the holiday season 2018.
Sometimes I try a new recipe and am enthusiastic for a time. Then, later, I discover that I have not cooked that dish in years. But my enthusiasm for roasted Brussels sprouts has not waned. I first tried the recipe (from a Mark Bittman column in The New York Times) in November 2015 when I bought a stalk of Brussels sprouts at the supermarket. That big stalk had so many sprouts I had to try something beyond steaming and eating them plain.
These stalks of Brussels sprouts are only available at my supermarket around Thanksgiving. This week I bought another stalk, and, as usual, I made roasted Brussels sprouts. I used the larger Brussels sprouts for my recipe last night, but I still found they were ready to eat with only 15 minutes in the oven and I lowered the baking temperature from 450 degrees Fahrenheit to 400 F. (205 Celsius).
In November 2015, I wrote:
For my roasting method, I have been following (with a few modifications) a Mark Bittman recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic I found in the food section of The New York Times.
I must confess that the first time I tried the recipe, I was so taken with the taste of the roasted Brussels sprouts that I was tempted to eat the entire recipe. (Of course, I didn’t. Wolfing down a 2-cup serving — even a healthy vegetable — is not chic.)
The second time I roasted the Brussels sprouts, I reduced the 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in which you brown the Brussels sprouts and garlic on top of the stove down to barely 3 Tablespoons for 1 pint (1/2 liter) of split Brussels sprouts. Likewise, I used a shade less than 1 Tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar in which I tossed the roasted sprouts after I removed them from the oven.
My stalk Brussels sprouts were on the small side. I found that they were tender to eat in 15 minutes in the 450 degrees F (232 C.) oven. In any case, I like my Brussels sprouts a little crunchy.
The first time I roasted these Brussels sprouts I served them with baked fish. The second time I prepared them, I ate them with freshly-baked whole grain bread and some French feta cheese. A wonderful light supper.
Leftover roasted Brussels sprouts are good reheated and eaten the next day. Roasted Brussels sprouts take little work and cook quickly. But if you are really short on time (or energy) Susan in Hamilton emailed that she had been buying roasted Brussels sprouts at Trader Joe’s and reheating them in the microwave. She was enthusiastic about the taste.
According to the information on the Trader Joe’s website, in Trader Joe’s version, the roasted in olive oil Brussels sprouts have been cooked whole, not split and browned on top of the stove before baking as in the recipe I tried. If you want balsamic vinegar to jazz up the taste of Trader Joe’s, you add your own before serving. (AnneNote: I am not sure if this Trader Joe product is still available in 2018.)
The French introduced me to Brussels sprouts, and I have long been a devotee. I usually buy fresh — or frozen ones that have been imported from Belgium. I had always cooked Brussels sprouts briefly in a little water. With a dash of salt, they were just perfect. But I am now a convert to roasting. At least of fresh Brussels sprouts. I think I would be asking for trouble, however, to try to split and brown frozen Brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet. Frozen Brussels sprouts I would roast whole and unthawed.
A thawed, uncooked Brussels sprout is not a happy vegetable. But these roasted Brussels sprouts are delicious !
be chic, stay slim — Anne Barone
images: (top) Chic & Slim Special Correspodent Kat at Brussels sprout stand, Borough Market, London, holiday season 2018 (middle) Brussels sprouts on stalk, (lower) Anne's first attempt at roasting Brussels sprouts in olive oil with garlic