My hope was to give you guys a newsy update after my epic Moving To California post about how Great Life Is Here and all that. Bummer that it rained all last week. And, by rained all last week, I literally mean rained all last week, just a consistent, soaking downpour that made me want to sleep all day (mission accomplished!). After a few days of that, we got a little cabin-feverish and took off to the farmer’s market in Jack London Square in Oakland.
One thing that Moving To California has changed in our lifestyle: we eat locally grown, often organic, fresh vegetables every single day. I don’t think I can convey the impact of this- I am a vegetable person (I really only don’t eat members of the squash family, or big tomatoes) so I get pretty psyched over a salad. And now I eat them every day! In Boston, eating really good, fresh vegetables was pretty expensive- produce is cheaper by about half here.
I digress. New Thing #2 is trying a vegetable with a dubious reputation. I’m not an adventurous eater unless I cook it myself (I’m always waiting for restaurant folks to sneak mayonnaise into sushi or something), so I don’t try new ones very often. But, at the aforesaid farmer’s market, I bought these little cherubs:
Brussels sprouts. I’ve avoided them my whole life, because they look like teeny, tiny cabbages – I forgot cabbage on my list above. Also because my grandmother liked them- she was a terrific cook, but often served those gourmet items that are so fancy they are not fit for consumption by a 12 year old afraid of mayonnaise (cold peanut soup? Really? Isn’t that just watery peanut butter, refridgerated?). Anyway. I bought 2 handfuls of the sprouts and started looking up recipes. Found a basic one that involved slicing them in half, browning in olive oil and sprinkling with salt, pepper, Parmesan.
The result?
A very vegetably-vegetable. Earthy flavor, with a teeny bit of sweetness to it, not unlike broccoli. Will be a good meat substitute on salads, especially a nice cold Caesar. I might also try quartering them and putting them on a pizza or in pasta. Will probably select the smaller sprouts next time, as they were more tender, and will probably sprinkle with feta instead.
After doing some scouting, I’m learning that the sprouts contain a compound called “sinigrin” which is thought to help prevent colon cancer. Sinigrin is released when the sprouts are overcooked, and release a sulfuric flavor and odor. The general opinion seems to be that most people have had revolting reactions to overcooked Brussels sprouts.
If you’re into cooking, I’d recommend these as a quick side dish- nutritious, packed with dietary fiber and flavor and really easy to cook (the sooner you stop, the better, apparently). Also, if you’re one of those people into the color of their dishes, Brussels sprouts are a lovely rich green outside, and a cute, baby’s-room yellow inside.
Welcome to my diet, wee little sprouts. I’m happy to have you.