Produce Superstars: Brussels Sprouts, The Veggie We’ve Learned to Love

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At this time of year, you may be able to buy brussels sprouts on the stalk, insuring greater freshness.

Some people say you’re not fully adult until you have children, but I wonder if it isn’t a little more simple than that. I think you’re fully an adult once you’ve learned to love brussels sprouts.  Notice I said “love,” merely tolerating them doesn’t cut it. O.K., I’m kidding, but you must admit there’s some truth to it. Not so long ago, I thought I didn’t like the little buggers. Much of what people don’t like about them, I’ve learned, is due to overcooking, when they can smell (and taste) downright unpleasant. So, let’s agree to go light on the cooking, which also improves their nutritional profile.  Members of the same family as broccoli, kale and cabbage, they are high in vitamins A and C, folic acid and antioxidants, including sulforaphane, a chemical thought to have potent anti-cancer properties.  Eat them in good health, and love them for their taste. Roasting, steaming and sautéing are all good cooking methods for brussels sprouts.  Ina Garten’s recipe for roasting them is here, and my recipe for sautéed brussels sprouts with toasted hazelnuts and lemon zest is after the jump.

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Brussels sprouts sauté with olive oil, toasted hazelnuts and lemon zest (recipe after the jump).

Produce Superstars: A Simple Way to Maximize the Flavor of Winter Squash

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Try my simple method for steam-baking/roasting winter squash to maximize flavor.

When daylight savings time ended on Sunday, suddenly the days seemed shorter, a reminder that even here in sunny California, winter is at hand. And as the days become cooler and wetter, cooking in the oven is more and more what I want to do. I find that cooking winter squash in an oven’s slow, steady heat not only reveals inherent sweetness and flavor, but warms the house with sweet aromas as well.  My method is simple, and avoids tedious peeling and chopping.  First you steam/ bake the squash, thus ensuring it is tender and moist, then you lightly glaze and roast it to deepen flavors and caramelize the natural sugars. Here’s how it works: (easy step-by-step process is after the jump)…

Prepping the squash takes just a couple of minutes.