On Brussels Sprouts

I like brussels sprouts. They’re actually pretty tasty, and they’re not just for Christmas. The problem is, most people just don’t cook sprouts right. When I was a kid, the sprouts would be boiled for a long time and always ended up horrible. A mushy, green lump of matter that doesn’t look satisfying at all. Luckily, now I’m an adult and I can cook my own food, and that means I can give you a decent recipe for these bastards.

Ingredients

However many Brussels Sprouts you want. 250g is good for about two people. I use frozen sprouts because fresh ones are only available in the winter months, but the procedure is mostly the same.

Cayenne Pepper

Paprika

Garlic Powder

A pinch of Cinnamon

Powdered Chili Pepper

Salt, pepper

Directions

Set the oven to around 180 C or about 350 F. If you are using fresh sprouts, give them a wash then cut the bottoms off and take off the leaves that stick out a lot. Put all of the sprouts in a metal bowl or oven tray. Pour a ton of the spices listed above all over the sprouts, then swirl them around in the bowl, to make sure that the sprouts are all evenly covered. I recommend going with a lot of paprika and chili powder, to give your sprouts a good old kick of spiciness. You should also stick to powdered spices, as anything wet doesn’t really work as well.

Place in the oven, then give the sprouts ten minutes. Once that time has passed, take the sprouts out of the oven, then swirl them around again. Give the sprouts a good old mix, then throw them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. There may be a bit of liquid in your cooking tray of choice, but that’s fine, it’ll evaporate. It should only take about 20-30 minutes for the sprouts to be cooked. You can check by sticking a knife or fork into a Brussels spout. If the utensil passes easily through the sprouts, then they are cooked.

Serve as soon as possible for maximum taste.

Alternate directions

The great thing about this recipe is that you can actually do Brussels Sprouts in the microwave too. If you are low on time, then these microwave instructions should help.

Get a microwave-safe piece of tupperware that has a lid on it. Throw all your sprouts and spices into the tupperware, put the lid on then shake vigorously. Once shaken, place into a microwave, put it on high and microwave it for three minutes. When the microwave stops, take out the tupperware, shake it vigorously again, then open up the tupperware and stick a fork into it to test if it’s done. Then give it another three minutes. Repeat this until you can easily stab a sprout using a fork without it feeling hard. This should take about 12 minutes, at least it did on my microwave. It might take shorter or longer depending on your microwave and its settings, so check regularly to see if they are done.

Serve immediately.

Unfortunately, these sprouts don’t really keep for very long, so eat them quickly for the best flavour. Either way though, this method is way, way better than just boiling them…