An ode to a brussel sprout I am sure no-one has written
I know not everyone likes them and so are not so smitten
My mum always cooked them with the Sunday roasted meat
For me they were too soft and squidgy, and so I did not eat
One day I had my own family and had to cook the food
I discovered in the Winter months that brussel sprouts I should include
And so I removed outside leaves and boiled them in the water
Mr. Swiss said he did not like them, but I cooked them how I ought to
Not boiling them for half an hour was how my mum would do it
My timing was for 10 minutes applying my own true wit
Now they became a family favourite because they had a bite
It seemed my method did credit to the sprouts and I was cooking it right
A Christmas turkey must have its sprout, it belongs on the festive plate
And now the family fight for the last one, the sprout now carries its weight
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 
I thin the English believe veggies are meant to be cooked till they die — my mother cooked them in the pressure cooker longer than I would cook them just on the stove top! I didn’t learn to like most veggies until I started to cook them for myself!
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My mum was not really a good cook. She even cut into the stems of the brussels to make sure they were cooked through.
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Yes — I remember her cutting crosses in the stem ends, but I never knew why!
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I love sprouts – steamed for 10 minutes then tossed in butter. I’m going to try and grow some this year.
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I toss every veg in butter, if I havn’t already fried it in butter.
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😀
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Lots of people like them. I got sick on them once when I was a kid and that kind of did it for me. A friend cooks them with walnuts and cranberries in a skillet.
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I like them as an accompany veg. The problem is I can only cook them when No. 1 son is not at home for dinner, which he always is. Otherwise I cook them and an extra veg for him. He will not eat them (I think it is because they are green).
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A brilliant ode!
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🙂
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Oh how I love this poem. Likewise, my mom would cook them into mush just like every other vegetable that was mushable. I usually buy them as microwavable packages all set to go but that’s not planet-friendly or as healthy as it could be. I’ve heard that roasted brussel sprout, cut in half with balsamic vinegar are good but haven’t tried them that way yet….
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Since writing this I have seen so many variations of bruseel sprouts. I really hope to make some again when No 1 son is not at home.
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Cool. I got that one from my younger son, who used to hate vegetables on general principle 😉
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I was never a fan of brussels sprouts because they were always prepared as you describe: overcooked. And they looked awful too. That is, until my daughter convinced me that roasting makes a huge difference. Coat/toss in oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. High temp until tender spread out in a shallow pan. Totally different eating experience. Will also work on the outside grill wrapped in foil. 🙂
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That sounds goodl I once tried them in the microwave, but the result was like bullets from a gun.
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Oh my goodness. Microwaving would turn them into…just like you say…artillery!!
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I was going to suggest roasting as well
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😃
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I love sprouts as well, especially sauteed in bacon and onions, yum!
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Another good idea
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I don’t recall ever having brussels sprouts when I was growing up. I buy them now, and we love them! You are right though–if you boil them within an inch of their life–they are mush and totally inedible.
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I learned that the hard way by growing up as a Brit. Vegetables were cooked to death.
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What a fun use of the prompt! I have those same memories of Sunday roasts with Brussels but even now, with choices (!), I still can’t eat them 🙂🤮
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I never liked them when mum cooked them, but when I began to cook to feed the family, I realised that they should have a bite when eating then and not collapse in the water they were boiled in.
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Yes we did used to over cook veggies. I like them with s crunch these days 🙂
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Brussels sprouts are a common crop on the coast here. The harvest does not smell very good.
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No-one likes a Brussel sprout. It is a winter crop here.
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Someone must like them if they are being grown.
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Something to fil in the winter days
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So they are grown because the ‘can’ be grown in a climate where not many other vegetables grow through winter?
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