38 Power Foods, Week 7 -- Brussels Sprouts --Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with New Potatoes and Parmesan

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When brussels sprouts (note spelling) first came back in vogue (they were vegetable non grata for a long time, right?), I put off making them.  It seemed everything was being thrown into the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Was there anything you couldn't cook that way? Brussels sprouts joined in the olive oil-oven fun all over the food world.  I waited. 

(above) This is one of Madeline L Pots' award winning songs from her CD "Gonna Plant A Garden".

As a kid, I didn't like brussels sprouts.  Did anyone?  As a young bride, I occasionally bought a package of frozen ones (just for something different) as there weren't fresh ones available at the places I shopped.  As time went on, they just disappeared from my repertoire until a few years ago when I began to see them fresh in tiny bags or right on their very own totem poles at Whole Foods. (illustration courtesy Merriam-Webster)

 A few special recipes began to be part of our regular meals as I developed not one, but several ideas for these special tiny lovelies.  (I share a couple of them below- one with potatoes and one without.)  Cooked slowly in a sauté pan, the inherent bitterness dissipates into the air, and the gentle beauty of brussel sprouts begins to shine in their sweet, tender nuttiness.  Carmelization might be the word.  Makes them wine-friendly, too.

Prep:  Try to buy young sprouts; older ones tender toward the bitter side.  Store young, fresh brussels sprouts (yellowed leaves removed if they're a bit older) for up to two weeks loosely covered in refrigerator.   When ready to cook, wash them well, remove a leaf or two, and trim the stem--not too far up or all the leaves will come off. You can also cut an X into the stem to quicken cooking time and ensure even cooking.  If they're huge, cut them in half.   There's a video for everything and here's one about cleaning brussels sprouts since I know you have nothing else to do today:
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Now that you know all about them, try this:

PAN-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS with New Potatoes and Parmesan 

             2-3 servings

• 2T olive oil (regular is fine; don't need extra virgin)
• 12 fresh brussels sprouts, cleaned, trimmed, cut in 1/2
• 6 red potatoes- 1/4d if large, left whole if small
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into eighths 
• Kosher Salt, freshly-ground pepper, pinch of crushed red pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, "grated" in large shards with a potato peeler (skip for vegan version)

1.  Heat oil  in a 12- inch skillet over medium heat.   Add brussels sprouts, potatoes, and onions.   Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and add just the pinch of crushed red pepper.   Stirring frequently to avoid burning, but still to brown nicely, cook  for about 10 minutes.
2.  Add Parmesan to the pan.  Turn heat down to medium-low and cook until vegetables are fairly well-done, but still somewhat crispy. Take care to not burn the Parmesan but  it should be quite brown; some of it will be almost chip like.  This may take another 20 minutes or so, depending on how hot your skillet is.   Taste; re-season if necessary.  Serve hot or at room temperature.
3. Cool completely before storing well-wrapped leftovers  in refrigerator for 2 days.  
4. To re-warm,  place in a skillet over medium heat with a tiny bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.  Heat, stirring often, until  hot--about 10 minutes.

Saving the best for last, here's my pan-roasted brussels sprouts mixed up with only very crispy shards of Parmesan and topped with pumpkin seeds for crunch.   Cooked slowly and thoroughly, the sprouts become a little nutty and the Parmesan turns into something akin to chips.  Scrumptious.  Even if you never wanted to eat brussels sprouts.

 

PAN-ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PARMESAN AND PUMPKIN SEEDS

• 12 fresh brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed (Take l layer of leaves off,  cut off bottom tiny core) and cut in half
• 2T olive oil
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, "grated" in long pieces with a potato peeler
• 1/4 c pumpkin seeds
• Kosher Salt and freshly-ground pepper

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and add brussels sprouts. Stirring frequently to avoid burning, but still to brown nicely, cook brussels sprouts for about 10 minutes. Add parmesan and pumpkin seeds. Turn down heat to medium-low and cook until sprouts are fairly well-done, but still somewhat crispy. Take care to not burn the parmesan; it should be quite brown. Salt and pepper well.   Serve  hot.  Follow storage and re-heating instructions above.
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I've served these brussels sprouts for many occasions, but particularly like them for my fast Thanksgiving dinner.

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 everything you didn't want to know about brussel sprouts
courtesy brusselsprouts.com:

Brussels sprouts, or Brassica oleracea gemmifera, are related to other better-known vegetables in the Brassica genus like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. They are part of the cruciferae or mustard family, so known because of a four-part flower in the shape of a cross.

HISTORY: Sprouts were believed to have been cultivated in Italy in Roman times, and possibly as early as the 1200s in Belgium. The modern Brussels sprout that we are familiar with was first cultivated in large quantities in Belgium (hence the name "Brussels"sprouts) as early as 1587, with their introduction into the U.S. in the 1800s.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Brussels sprouts are a very good source of many essential vitamins, fiber, and folate. They are especially high in Vitamin C. (Click here to see the nutritional label) They, along with their other cruciferous cousins, have been shown to have some very beneficial effects against certain types of cancer, as they contain many different ingredients that are believed to help prevent the disease 

These recipes originally available on More Time and Dinner Place in separate blogs.
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38 Power Foods is a group effort!   Stop by these other blogs and see what they're cooking each week as we team up to bring you some of the healthiest cooking available.

Ansh – SpiceRoots.com  

Casey – bookcasefoodie.wordpress.com 

Jeanette – JeanettesHealthyLiving.com 

Jill – SaucyCooks 

Martha – Simple-Nourished-Living.com

Mireya – MyHealthyEatingHabits.com 

Sarah - Everything in the Kitchen Sink
Anabanana - adobodownunder.blogspot.com
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As we go along, I'm guessing we'll get some other writers involved.  If you're interested in joining the gang writing each week, get in touch with Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits:  Mireya@MyHealthyEatingHabits.com

Sing a new song; cook a new brussels sprout,

Alyce

two-dog kitchen and around the 'hood

Miss Gab watching Ina with me.

Lovey-Dovey

 I'm busy developing and testing recipes for the soup cookbook.  This week, I'm working on
Pozole (Mexican stew--mine's made with pork tenderloin, corn, and hominy) and  Tom Kha Kai (coconut/chicken from Thailand).  I'm finding the most difficult part is figuring out how this whole thing goes from a Word doc (actually becomes a pdf first) to the 6x9, 100  printed page.
How can I be sure that the pagination makes sense or that recipes are on one page?  Or that the margins are accurate?  Did I consistently use "t" or "tsp" for teaspoon?  You get the picture!  Slowly, I'm starting to see how it works.  I have a bunch of home-testers cooking away.  If you have a testing recipe and I haven't heard from you, I'm looking forward to a response pretty soon.  Test on!

It's NW blueberry time; I'm eating all I can get and freezing the rest.

You can see how easy it is to move around my kitchen.

In Colorado, we have time for movies with the grandkid.  Thanks, God.

Just for grin and giggles, I made homemade mayonnaise for a dressing for a steak and fresh potato chip salad.  Dear.

  That's all she wrote.