Nothing polarizes people more than Brussels spouts it’s either love or hate. Perhaps you can be persuaded to give them one more try. Fresh Brussels sprouts are in season from late summer and throughout winter. They’re flavor is best when harvested after the first frost. Selecting young and small heads have sweet and nutty flavor.
Available frozen or fresh in supermarkets are the larger commercially grown sprouts. They provide more weight or volume than flavor and tend to have bitterness. For this reason I recommend farmer’s markets as the best source for fresh, young and tender sprouts. If the best selections are not available there are a few tricks to get them more palatable.
This recipe is diverse with many options to suit your needs. Included are some helpful tips making Brussels sprouts a mainstay at your table.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1-1/2 cups cooked Brussels sprouts (cut up large heads half or quarter)
1-tablespoon butter
1-1/2 cup diced processed or shredded American cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can evaporated milk
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped cooked chicken
2-4 strips of bacon crumbled (optional)
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat sauté onion, celery and brussel sprouts for 3-5 minutes till onion and celery are tender. Stir in cheese, soup and milk until smooth.
Place rice in a small greased casserole dish. Spread the chopped chicken over the rice and pour rice mixture on top the chicken and rice. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Bake, at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes till hot & bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.
Recipe Options
1. Other Meat Option: omit chicken and bacon; then substitute with cooked, drained and chopped polish sausage, use cream of mushroom, replace American cheese for gouda or edam cheese blends and add 2-teaspoon of caraway seeds for a old world style flavor.
2. Meatless Option: omit chicken and bacon then substitute cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom or cream of celery.
3. Healthy Options: make the following ingredient substitutes; olive or canola oil, shredded low-fat cheese blends, a low sodium version of the creamed soup, fat-free evaporated milk and brown rice.
Buying & Cooking Fresh Tips
1. Buying Fresh: look for Brussels sprouts that have firm, tight heads that are heavy in weight. Avoid sprouts that are yellow or brown. The cores should be clean and white. The smaller the heads again are better having a sweeter flavor than the larger heads.
2. Store Brussels Sprouts: unwashed, in perforated plastic bag or brown paper bag and refrigerated for up to a week. Heirloom varieties the best for flavor are found in farmers markets; and store in a shorter time refrigerated up to three days. At cooking time, remove any yellow or withered leaves and trim core if no longer white. Head should still be firm, if not discard.
3. Not Fresh Brussels Sprouts: If you can’t find farmer’s market fresh sprouts; use this trick in cooking. For large heads with tough cores cut an X into cores using a small paring knife this speeds cooking time. Add 1-teaspoon vinegar and 1-teaspoon sugar plus a pinch of salt to steaming water.
Steam whole in a large skillet or Dutch oven with just enough water to cover half way or partial covered. Cover and steam for 7-12 minutes or until fork tender then drain. Let cool before cut in smaller pieces if needed. If vinegar and sugar don’t remove the bitterness add a pinch of baking soda to your seasoning when sautéing should help
