Brussel sprouts are like little bites of Spring. I don't know who started the rumors about them, probably the same person who's been boiling them into submission. They don't deserve such treatment. High in Vitamin A, C, Thiamine, Folate, Calcium, sulforaphane, a chemical believed to have anti-cancer properties, and indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which promotes DNA repair and may block cancer cell growth, these little sprouts are serious super food!
They are best prepared in the simplest of fashion, in fact, over boiling them reduces their nutritional content. My favorite preparation is to chop off the bud end, slice them in half, toss the halves and any loose leaves that fall off in olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Pop under a broiler for 5 minutes or so until you start to see some golden color. The loose leaves will darken and curl and provide a rich, nutty crunch. The halves are like fresh little heads of lettuce, exploding with green earthy flavor.
What vegetable doesn't taste good doused in oil, salt and run under a fire? I think I'm going to start buying all those weird veggies that I don't know what to do with and cook them up this way. I think even a head of romaine sliced and broiled in this fashion would be yummy. I broil asparagus like this all the time, and eat it with my fingers, because that's what the French do and I'm very Continental.
I paired my sprouts with some angel hair pasta tossed in olive oil, lemon juice and capers. There may have been snow slush on our deck chairs this morning, but I'm eating like it's Spring.
