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For me, Brussels sprouts are a tradition food. We only had them at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and were a favorite of my father. They held special occasion status because we lived overseas and only got them as frozen.
Now I can go down the street to the weekly market under the freeway and buy them super fresh - still on the stalk. And, it turns out, that you can keep them like a bouquet of flowers or fresh herbs. Cut off the end and set it in a vase of water. It will continue to live until you are ready to use them.
When I was growing up we boiled them. Now I know that there are much better ways to prepare them. Best of all - roast 'em.
The first thing to do prep-wise is to clean the sprouts. Take off the dark outer leaves to get to the more tender leaves underneath. Then you can halve or quarter them or do what I did below, slice them to create shred.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss prepared sprouts in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Do not use too much. A little goes a long way. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1-2 crushed cloves of garlic. Toss to coat the sprouts. Spread on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve hot or cold.
