Conversion by Recipe.

Many of us have had our opinions on a particular foodstuff or dish changed by a different method of cooking or presentation. I am not fond of okra, for example, (don’t shoot me down, okra-lovers), but I was recently faced with some dried pods served alongside some peanuts and accompanied by a gin and tonic. They were delicious – perhaps for me, because the ‘slimyness’ which I dislike was completely and utterly absent.

Many of you dislike Brussels sprouts. Personally, I find this hard to understand, as I think they are delicious (unless they are very old and very overcooked, which no vegetable should ever be.) This post is my attempt prove that conversion to enjoying them is possible, because others have been converted.  

Firstly though, I want to remind you that Brussels sprouts, along with cauliflower and cabbage are simply different cultivars of the same plant -  Brassica oleracea. In the case of the cauliflower, as the name suggests, the flower of the plant dominates; in the case of the Brussels sprout, it is the buds in the axils of the leaves which become our dinner-table vegetable. Brussels sprouts were available in England in the eighteenth century, but did not become common for two centuries, hence the dearth of recipes for them until relatively recent historical times.

The Melbourne newspaper The Argus gives us two stories about Brussels sprouts in the nineteen forties, which are our examples of conversion by recipe.

Firstly, from the Argus of July 31, 1945, the following snippet:

As Brussels sprouts is another vegetable I eat chiefly beause it is good for me, I was most grateful for his recipe for Devilled Brussels Sprouts, as was my family when I set the dish before them.

Take 2 lb Brussels sprouts, ½ cup butter or margarine, 2 teaspoons prepared mustard, ¾  teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce, a dash of cayenne.

Cook sprouts until tender in about an inch of salted boiling water.
Meanwhile melt butter in a saucepan, add remaining ingredients.
Drain the sprouts; place in a hot vegetable dish and pour the sauce over all.

And from The Argus July 17, 1945:

The Earl of Rosebery couldn't bear Brussels sprouts  - the only way he would eat them was:

Sprouts with Chestnuts

To a pound of sprouts allow ½ lb chestnuts.

Cook: Boiling is good or they can be put into the oven-chestnuts.
Boil sprouts and drain. Then put both into a saucepan with a little butter and seasoning. This is a delicious dish, said Mrs Jenkins. I can bear her out – it is.

(We had a recipe for the Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts in a previous post here

Quotation for the Day.

A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.
P. J. O'Rourke (1947 - )