Recipe: The Mighty Brussels Sprout

I know, I say the words “Brussels sprouts,” and you shudder, remembering those pungent soggy cabbage-like mounds that you were forced to eat as a child (I have no doubt my parents served . So, last year, when my husband, who has gradually expanded his range of vegetables, suggested we try roasting these vegetables after getting the idea from the Thanksgiving Adam Carolla podcast, I laughed hysterically. I had never liked those little guys. But this winter, I’ve become obsessed with Brussels sprouts.

I decided to try the roasted veggie recipe in Giada De Laurentiis’ book, Everyday Italian (a terrific book for quick, easy dinners), which included Brussels sprouts. Remembering my husband’s suggestion, I decided, why not give it a try? I did a few things differently, using fresh herbs and grinding them, and garlic, into the olive oil.

Guess what? It was terrific. Then I made the Brussels sprouts without the rest of the vegetables, using the rest of that recipe. And then, one night, I was looking around my fridge and found some Brussels sprouts and pearl onions. And came up with this:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pearl Onions

You will need:

• One bag Brussels sprouts
• A handful of pearl onions (you can use any onion, but I like these the best)
• garlic
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim ends of the Brussels sprouts without taking off the leaves. Chop them in half and set aside. Take a handful of pearl onions*, peel them (here are some instructions) and cut them in half (we want them to fall apart). Mince the garlic fine. Toss the onions and garlic together, add enough olive oil to coat the vegetables, and add the sea salt and pepper to taste. Cook in a baking pan or on a nonstick cookie sheet until they are golden-brown and sizzling, between 30-45 minutes.

* if you are not using small onions, then chop onion coarsely.

~Aurora