What to Do With Brussels Sprouts When You’re Tired of Frying Them
Perfectly roasted, lightly charred Brussels sprouts are very nice, but you can get fatigued with just one cooking method. The good news is that there are several ways to eat these cruciferous treats. Here are a few of our favorites.
Chop them up for salad
Raw Brussels unpleasant in its form of mini-cabbage, but the work of a small knife (or mandolin) turns them into crispy little pieces that are perfectly suitable for mixing with sour vinaigrette . After cutting them into very thin slices and seasoning them to your liking, add protein (such as grilled chicken or garbanzo beans) and some grains (such as quinoa). If the salad base looks too strong for you, leave it in the refrigerator for a few days to soften, or try softening half of the slices by massaging them with salt first .
Cover them with cheese
If you want to feel a little more virtuous by shoving a bite of melted grilled cheese into your body after a bite, consider replacing (or supplementing) your potato gratin with Brussels. Start by making a simple béchamel with two tablespoons of flour and butter, whisking over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Slowly add 2 cups whole milk and cook over low heat until smooth and thick. Remove from heat, add about a cup of shredded cheese (Gouda, Gruyere or Dublin are all good here) and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
Blanch the Brussels quarters in super-salted water , then drain and transfer to a buttered baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the sprouts, sprinkle with more grated cheese of your choice and bake at 375 ℉ until bubbling and browning, about half an hour.
Fry the leaves, stirring occasionally
The small, crispy Brussels leaves add great texture and charred flavor to rice and noodle dishes, but they can make a good base for stirring on their own. Simply cut the bottom ends (about 1/4 inch) from a pound of sprouts, plucking off the leaves and cutting off the bottom as needed. Fry over high heat in a mixture of butter and olive oil (one tablespoon each) until the leaves are crispy and lightly browned around the edges. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes and serve as a side dish or base for stir-fry.
Plunge
Substitute spinach in any creamy sauce for a denser bite, remember to blanch and drain the leaves first. When they are tender crispy, prepare the sauce as you would with spinach and artichoke. There are many recipes for this, but I’m partial to the Minimalist Baker version that features shallots.