Tuesday: Balsamic Brussels

Broiled haddock with brown rice and garlic-roasted Brussels sprouts.

These sprouts got an amazing treatment out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: they were allowed to sit undisturbed in a little oil in a hot skillet for 10 minutes with several whole cloves of garlic, and then the whole skillet was transferred into a 450F oven for about 30 minutes. They were finished with a dash of balsamic vinegar. The sprouts end up deliciously singed and slightly crunchy.

If you haven't seen Brussels sprouts in their native habitat, you might be amazed by the below:



Yes, they really grow like that! The sprouts grow like little mini-cabbages along a thick, inedible stalk. The protruding stems once had big cruciferous-looking leaves; these are lopped off before the stalk is sold at market. It is extremely satisfying to snap the sprouts off. (Kind of like the feeling of popping bubble wrap.)