How To Cook Brussel Sprouts
Many people know how to cook brussel sprouts in boiling water, and this can be a good alternative when time and attention are not available, but there are many other ways of preparing this robust, tasty vegetable. Boiling can, and actually does, remove a great deal of the nutrients from these potent leafy vegetables, and also dilutes the flavor and color of them. After the boiling process, one can actually see the green tint of the water, and can smell the lost ingredients in the water. This is ok sometimes, for some is better than none, but if you want to learn how to cook brussel sprouts without losing any of their healthy benefits, the following tips will surely help you out.
In order to learn how to cook brussel sprouts by way of roasting, you will need to have about 45 minutes at your disposal. This may seem rather lengthy, but it can be easily managed as the rest of your meal is in the works. Take your fresh brussel sprouts, cut the old ends off of the bottoms, rinse them thoroughly to remove possible chemicals and pesticides, and pat them dry. Place them in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on them. Crack some fresh pepper on top of this, to taste, and some kosher or sea salt. In addition to these ingredients, squeeze about a quarter of a fresh lemon on top. Now shake it all up, until the brussel sprouts are evenly coated with all the good stuff. Don’t be afraid of the lemon, it will not bitter your end result.
Spread your brussel sprouts into a cake pan lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil, being sure that the shiny side is down. At this point, you can add a bit more of anything that you feel may be lacking. Place your sprouts in a 400 degree oven, being sure to shake them around every ten minutes or so. They will roast to a beautiful golden brown, crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. If you wish to know how to cook brussel sprouts without the use of added oils, then the steaming method might be just what you’re after.
There are different ways of going about the steaming method, and you can choose whichever suits your time and heating means. The easiest would most likely be to double wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil, allowing a bit of room for air circulation as the heat will expand it. When learning how to cook brussel sprouts this way, you can spice them in whatever way you like, and place them in an oven at 350 degrees or more. Check them for fork tenderness after about 35 minutes, adding time as needed.