Brussels sprouts. Yuck!
Over the years, bitter little brussels sprouts and I have not been close. Sure, we hung out together a few times. Sure, I oogled the little green brussels in the bins at Sprouts and picked out the most handsome ones to bring home with me. I’ll admit, I even included them once at my holiday table.
But, there was just no spark between us. Ever.
I had pretty much decided to end our relationship forever when this Food52 recipe for brussels sprouts gratin came across my desk. Maple syrup? Pecans? A gratin? Maybe this could be a game changer.
I swiped right.
I know. I know. One should never-ever-never rekindle a relationship, particularly one where there has been some bitterness involved, because you think you can change the other party for the better. But, you know, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants.
Turns out, brussels sprouts can be pretty delicious.
I served this dish to my handyman Tony yesterday at lunch (along with a bowl of the tomato basil soup that also appears in an earlier posting on this blog). Tony was doing some of the never-ending jobs that seem inevitably to come with home ownership–at least, my home ownership. He told me he had never before eaten brussels sprouts and was pretty interested in giving them a try. He confided in me that, as a child in Mexico, he used to juggle brussels sprouts as a game. He said he pretended to be a giant who was juggling cabbages. I love that image.
Tony and I both give this recipe two thumbs up.
Here is the gratin recipe:
[mpprecipe-recipe:43]
The recipe in this post is adapted from one that appears on the Food52 food blog. Here is a link to that blog:
