anecdote.

I have always loved brussels sprouts.

The first time I tried them - I would've been about seven years old - I loved them so much that I attempted to shove a whole one into my tiny mouth and eat it all at once. The resulting gagging fit was enough to convince my mother that what she'd heard her whole life was true - all children hate brussels sprouts.

And why shouldn't they?

And what was she thinking giving such vile vegetables to her child?

Remorseful, she never made brussels sprouts again. I had to wait until I could buy and make my own food before I ever tasted another.

[end scene]

So sad!!!!

I probably have 20 different brussels sprouts recipes in my collection. I've one recipe that calls for a brown sugar butter sauce that is amazingly delicious, and know a great (if work-intensive) technique for a warm salad that involves separating the leaves of the heads.

We were turned on to a new technique recently:

Grilled Brussels Sprouts

Have you ever??

The recipe called for skewering the heads before throwing them on the grill, but it didn't take long to determine that this was a dangerous and difficult approach that would most likely end with the skewering of ourselves. So we just halved them and used my metal cooling rack as a guard against any of the sprouts falling into the fire.

I tossed them with olive oil [as directed], then added a splash of serrano-infused vodka I happen to have (I'm preserving the chiles from my garden), and some salt and pepper, and put them over the hot coals for about five minutes per side. After I took them off the heat I tossed them with some crushed red pepper flakes and some blue cheese crumbles.

Delicious!!