At some point in our lives, all of us have experienced it. Colorless. Mushy. Tasteless. Funky odor. Vegetables!
As kids our palettes lean towards foods that look good, taste good and smell good. Anything that doesn’t -- like overcooked vegetables -- makes its way onto the “no way” list. As adults some of us realize those foods are actually very good when prepared in a different way.
Rather than force my kids to wait that long, I decided to push their palettes to the limit and grill Brussels sprouts! Since they love everything else I grill for them, I thought it would be worth a try.
Ingredients:
olive oil
coconut oil
kosher salt
black pepper
crumbled bacon
fresh garlic cloves
Instructions:
On charcoal over medium heat I baste the vegetables in beef stock every 20 minutes.
After 60-90 minutes, I let them rest covered and finish with a little more salt (smoked sea salt works best).
They are green, but still vibrant. They melt in your mouth, but still have substance. They taste like Brussels sprouts, but without the bitterness.
And the smell -- the smoky, salty, nutty aroma is proof enough to put more than just a polite serving of one on your plate. When my 8-year old son, empty plate in hand, turned to me and said, “Daddy, can I have seconds?” I knew I was on to something.