Thanksgiving at our house is a time for family to get together and of course eat. Mom and Dad spent the day with us and enjoyed food, family and their 3 great-grandchildren. Each year I try a few things different. This year I tried to cook the turkey on the BBQ using the high temperature method published by the New York Times. The turkey got done in record time (2 hrs.) but was a little dry…needs more work. Fortunately, the vegetables turned out great and we totally cooked them a day ahead.
One of my favorite is Brussel sprouts baked in the oven. This time of year, they are still plentiful and available on the stock. They will be slightly bitter now; the supper sweet ones are early in the season and Thanksgiving is late in the season. I always buy Brussel sprouts on the stock if possible because they are so much easier to prepare that way. You don’t have to trim all those little ends. All I do is tear off the damaged outer leaves, rinse and set on a large baking sheet covered with foil to drip dry. When they have dried a little (doesn’t have to be perfect) I spray them lightly with olive oil (now available in spray cans) and sprinkle with a few grains of salt; then bake in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes or so until the outer leaves are slightly brown and the sprouts give a little when you squeeze them. Remove from the oven and let them cool until they are easy to handle and cut them off the stock with sharp kitchen shears. Then refrigerate until you are ready to use them. When you are ready to use, simply reheat. For Thanksgiving, I reheated mine in a stoneware dish at 150 degrees in the oven covered with foil. It took about 20 minutes. Remember to let your dish and the sprouts warm to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before reheating.
Brussel sprouts can be used in a surprising number of ways. My leftovers never go to waste. I often halve leftover sprouts lengthwise and sauté in a non-stick pan with an egg for breakfast. The carbs in fibrous vegetables are much better for you than that piece of toast and will last for hours helping you get to lunch without a snack. Sometimes I take a half dozen or so in a bag and eat them cold with my lunch and of course they are easy to reheat in the microwave for dinner. You may live alone or be a family of 2 but don’t be afraid of leftover vegetables. They make cooking easy and sharing with someone you care about no fuss at all.
Ken Corliss, OD