Tuesday, January 31, 2017

The Brussels Sprouts Challenge

Gustus Brussels Sprouts
A while back I mentioned that my EIC (Eater-In-Chief), aka my husband Dave, challenged me to come up with some different ways to prepare Brussels sprouts. I had been in a bit of a rut, turning to my 2 favorite no-brainer methods of serving them up, and they were/are showing up frequently on our plates because I'm having a banner year for sprouts.

This year to date I've harvested 8.7 pounds of Gustus and 2.1 pounds of Hestia sprouts. And the totals for November and December of 2016 came to 4 pounds of Gustus and 3.6 pounds of Hestia. So that's been 18.4 pounds of Brussels sprouts in the last 3 months! And I need to get out and harvest yet more. I've only found one method of preserving Brussels sprouts that I'm happy with, dehydrating them. Yesterday I sliced up 1 1/2 pounds of them and dehydrated them. It's amazing how 24 ounces of sprouts dries down to 2.4 ounces! But now I've got a jar full of dried sliced sprouts in the fridge. I use a lot of dried peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini to make the frittatas that Dave likes to take for his lunch, now I'll be using dried Brussels sprouts in the frittatas as well. And I think I'll be drying more to make the dehydrated Brussels Sprouts and Carrot Salad that we take backpacking.

Gustus Brussels Sprouts
So here in one place I'm presenting many of the dishes that I've come up with to enjoy the glut of Brussels sprouts in a number of different ways. In no particular order. Click on the links to go to the recipes on my recipe blog.










More Recipes for dishes that I haven't photographed:

Roasted Sprouts, Carrots, and Parsnips with a Mustard Maple Apple Cider Dressing
Stracciatella Soup with Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts Skillet Souffle
Back Country Brussels Sprouts and Carrot Salad

I also want to try to adapt my pudding souffle recipe to use Brussels Sprouts.

And I've  been using my Eat Your Books app to explore my books and online sources to find inspiration. Here's some recipes that are online that I want to try or tinker with: (Click on the links to go to the recipes)

Brussels Sprouts Kimchi Actually, I've got a batch of kimchi already burbling away that is inspired by this recipe, but I've made a lot of changes. I'll post my version on my recipe blog if I like the results.

Apple and Brussels Sprouts Salad I like the idea of this salad, although I know already that I'll tinker with it. I would rather use whole fat greek yogurt or creme fraiche rather than nonfat greek yogurt called for the dressing...

Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish and Pomegranate Seeds Hmm, horseradish and pomegranate sound like yummy compliments to sprouts. But I would skip the blanching and broiling the recipe calls for and roast the sprouts in the cast iron skillet instead.

JalapeƱo Bacon Brussels Sprouts Gratin OMG, does this look decadently good.

Brussels Sprouts Risotto No tinkering required with this one! And the Brussels Sprouts and Ginger Slaw recipe on the same page looks really good too.

Waldorf Style Brussels Sprouts Salad with Guanciale But wait, there's more! Another salad recipe that looks good to me...

Charred Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter and Shiso Here's another recipe that I think will adapt well to my cast iron roasting method. I like the sound of the flavors in this recipe but the execution seems rather complicated. I would rather keep things simple.

Brussels Sprout Salad with Toasted Sesame Vinaigrette Yet one more salad that appeals to me.

So, how about you? Got a favorite Brussels Sprouts recipe you would like to share? Please do.


9 comments:

  1. What a great collection of sprouts recipes! I was going to suggest kimchi but I see you beat me to it. You'll have to let us know how it turns out. And 18+ pounds of sprouts is truly amazing to me. I'm not sure I have harvested than many in my entire life.

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  2. This one which I've mentioned before
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pan-browned-brussels-sprouts-100868

    and this one called Sprouts Salad from Sphere/Betty Crocker's When You're Entertaining 1974
    1 pint b-sprouts cooked crisp-tender; 2 zucchini, not in season with sprouts, I don't use them, I use 1 large avocado; and 1/4 c sliced green onions. Marinate 4 hours in 1 cup oil, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1/4 c vinegar, 2 t seasoned salt, 1 t sugar, 1/2 t dry mustard, salt, 1/4 t crushed red pepper. Serve on greens-lined plate with tomato slices. Very pretty red and green contrasting colors.

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    1. Thanks Jane. Does it drive you crazy when you see recipes that pair veggies that aren't in season together? It does me, but I guess that's because I'm a gardener and know better than to even think of buying veggies that are out of season. Marinated sprouts, sounds good! Tomatoes?

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    2. Actually I was thinking that some of your Ajis might be splendid color- and taste-wise

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    3. Oh, those Ajis are spicy! If I used enough to make a visual statement I don't think I could eat the sprouts! But I think that pomegranate arils would be a lovely color/flavor compliment. Or maybe some blood orange segments. OK, I've got some in the fridge.

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    4. Oh wait, I forgot to say, I think I have a stash of Sphere Magazines somewhere. That was the first cooking magazine I ever subscribed to! Had to keep them around for sentimental reasons.

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  3. You show great versatility with your sprout recipes, have you done any stir frying of shredded sprouts.

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    1. Sue, that is one of my go-to no-brainer preparations. It's so quick, easy, and delicious. I've converted a few sprouts haters to lovers with some version or other of that dish. I've never bothered to write up my method (recipe?) because it's just something that I whip up without thinking.

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  4. The photo of the sprout in your hand makes it look like a cabbage. Amazing amount of sprouts that you are getting. I like to slice the sprouts, add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and minced garlic and microwave them until done.

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