Like Superman, there was one potent element that could bring me to my knees. Brussell sprouts.
I remember my first encounter with those green stink bombs like it was yesterday. I was returning home from school when I discovered my mother was boiling a pot of those evil leafy orbs.
As I slid the sliding glass doors of my childhood home, I was expecting to smell one of my mom’s usual amazing home cooked meals . . . homemade lasagna, chicken casserole or maybe she was whipping up our favorite chicken and rice balls.
Instead, I was confronted by an odor that assaulted my nasal passages, charged down the back of my throat and churned the contents of my stomach. I literally felt weak and needed to leave the kitchen filled with a fetid steam streaming out of the stainless steel pot.
For those of you who haven’t smelled boiling Brussels sprouts, close your eyes and imagine leisurely afternoon stroll through your town’s sewage water recycling plant.
I wondered what could be so appealing about this putrid smelling vegetable. I remember my mother dismissing my reaction saying they tasted better than they smell. What other food can you say, just pinch your nose and it really tastes great. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.
I remember seeing her eat Brussels sprouts by the bowl full. It was the one time my mother would be silent at the table, completely consumed by her bowl of sprouts, in a Zen-like trance.
Fast forward to recent years, as a corporate chef for a national organic supermarket chain, I found myself confronting my vegetable nemesis each December. It seems there are many insane people, like my mother, who like to celebrate the holidays with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts.
So here I was, charged with the task of training people how to cook these reeking seasonal delectables, reminiscent of sweaty socks that have been left in a gym locker for months. I also had to train the serving staff about the nutritional benefits for their inquiring customers.
Pitching Brussels sprouts was like asking Superman to nominate Lex Luther for Nobel Peace Prize. There I was in front of my students, trying to pump up the benefits of Brussels sprouts.
So in their favor, Brussels sprouts are nutritional powerhouses. Sprouts are “through the roof” packed with Vitamins K and C as well as folate.
They contain cancer fighting sulphur phytonutrients that helps your body’s defense system fight against many diseases, especially cancer.
When chewed or chopped, a compound called Sulphorane is released and triggers your liver to produce cancer-clearing enzymes. So don’t think you can just hold your nose and swallow these vegetables whole. Yes, you have to chew them to get the added benefit.
And like the name suggests, they do originate from Brussels. Growing with clumps of twenty to thirty sprouts on each stalk, growers are now found all over America and Europe.
Something strange started to happen as I continued to travel the country, training new cooks how to prepare Brussels sprouts. I actually started to like them.
After each training session, bit by bit, I started to become immune to the smell of boiling Brussels sprouts. In fact, by the end of Brussels sprout season, which generally runs from October to February, I started to miss them.
This year, I actually found myself making my own big bowl of Brussels sprouts. But unlike the over-cooked versions my mother made, I par-boil them to retain their bright green cheer and roast them in butter and toss them with toasted salted pecans for good measure.
This version is sweet as candy, but lord, the smell could drop an ox.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans
1 pound of fresh Brussels sprouts
½ stick of butter, melted
Pinch of kosher salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
½ pound pecans, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt a quarter stick of butter and toss in a bowl with the half-pound of pecans. Add a pinch of kosher salt and toss to evenly coat the pecans.
Spread the pecans evenly on a cookie sheet and toast on the middle rack of the oven for about ten or fifteen minutes. Remove the pecans from the oven and place on a dry paper towel to cool.
Turn the heat up 400 degrees in your oven. Start to boil a pot of water. While the water is beginning to boil, trim the tough stems from the sprouts and remove any yellow or brown outer leaves.
Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise and place in the boiling water. Boil for seven minutes. Place in a cold water ice bath to stop the cooking.
Place the Brussels sprouts in a bowl with the olive oil and the rest of the butter. Spread onto a cookie sheet and roast for fifteen minutes. Take out of oven and toss with pecans right before serving.