In Defense of the Brussel Sprout...

I think Brussel Sprouts (or are they Brussels Sprouts - since they were popularized in Brussels) are under-rated.  OK, so I've hardly ever eaten brussel sprouts.  I can only remember having them once when I was a kid, and of course, other than by their appearance, I was completely unimpressed.  I was, however, fascinated that they were complete miniatures of their larger cousin, the cabbage. They still fascinate me.  So, last week, after reading my daughter's blog about her miniature artichoke find, I started craving brussel sprouts.  I bought some.  Having never purchased purchased them before in my nearly 38 years of marriage, I found myself at a loss as how to prepare them.  I decided to wash them and cut them in half and stir-fry them.  This was a mid-afternoon snack attack (did I ever mention that I am usually a salty/savory snacker - when my kids were little we'd sometimes go to a nearby Ice Cream Parlor/Greasy Spoon Eatery.  My husband and kids would order ice cream cones and I would order a hamburger and curly fries - for a snack).  

I ate the Brussel sprouts for my snack and thought - hmmm, they're all right. The next evening, I cooked them in the microwave and ate them as a side with my baked chicken.  (By the way, my husband won't touch them with a 10-foot pole).  I was not thoroughly impressed with the flavor, but there was some satisfaction that I just consumed a serving of cruciferous/beta carotene-containing semi-goodness.

Today, I cut the little gems in quarters and stir-fried them along with onion and garlic and added cooked pasta and topped them with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano and freshly ground pepper.  To die for!!!  Of course, this is my favorite lunch - any vegetable stir-fried, topped with the aforementioned goodies and pasta.  Here's a pic...

And link to wikipedia's page of Brussel Sprout proganda...