Day 111: This One is For All the Haters

My heart goes out to Brussels sprouts. Never was a vegetable so misunderstood and so hated. I myself am a recovering sprout hater. Growing up, the bowl of Brussels sprouts couldn’t even be placed near me at the dinner table. The smell alone was enough to drive me from the kitchen.

For some unknown reason, a few years ago, I decided to give them a try again. Much to my surprise, I loved them and I have loved them ever since.

The trick is in the preparation and of course, in the level of freshness. If you throw some 2 week old sprouts in a pot of boiling water and leave them there for too long, you are going to wind up with a heinous, tasteless bowl of mush.

A couple of weeks ago I prepared a Tyler Florence Brussels sprouts recipe that used bacon. Tonight I was craving that dish, but wanted to try to create a healthier version. My creation wasn’t as good as the original, but it was pretty damn tasty and easy to make!

Brussels Sprouts with Chicken/Turkey Sausage (serves 2):
2 links of pre-cooked chicken and/or turkey sausage
1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved vertically
1 small shallot, sliced thin
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on how spicy your sausage is)
Olive oil

Coat a stainless steel pan with olive oil and heat on medium-high.

Slice sausage in half lengthwise and then cut across into ½ inch slices. Toss sausage and shallot into the heated oil.

Cook sausage until it’s browned all over. At that point, remove and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth. Add sprouts, cover pan, and leave on a high simmer for 10-12 minutes or under sprouts are cooked through.

Add sausage/shallots back to pan, mix with sprouts, and cook over low heat for a couple of minutes until sausage is reheated.

If you’d like, after you’ve served the sprouts up, you can grate some fresh parmesan cheese over the top.

If this recipe – or Tyler Florence’s original one – does not change your mind about Brussels sprouts, then you truly are a hater. But give them a try before you decide! It may just change your life forever!