Sprouting Up…

…Brussels style! They’re green, leafy, and bitterly delicious. Brussels sprouts have gotten a bad rap for years, but lately, they’re so in. Since last year (as predicted by the James Beard Foundation and Forbes) restaurants have added them to their menus left and right. They’re even taking a more prominent role in grocery stores with a plethora of varieties to choose from!

These days, it seems as though every other restaurant carries a different form of Brussels sprouts on their menu–converting haters into advocates by the plateful and sparking a trend for new at-home recipe variations.

Sweet, spicy, or savory–chefs accompany them with bacon, onions, nuts, or sauces. In Minneapolis, Barbette serves them as a side to their delicious Oven Roasted Haddock, Vincent roasts them, The Bachelor Farmer caramelizes them, and Kings Wine Bar cooks them up with the ever-so-popular bacon. I especially love Bar Salut Americain’s version, which are served in a rich, creamy sauce.

Roast ’em, sauté ’em, caramelize ’em, blanch ’em, steam ’em… the options are endless. What’s to hate about that? With Thanksgiving right around the corner, a Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry Pistachio Pesto seems pretty fitting. (Recipe by Chef Todd at Checkers Restaurant, LA.) Yesterday, I cooked these up with hopes of converting the IN Food crew into Brussels sprouts lovers. Let’s just say it was a unanimously successful crowd pleaser!

Happy Thanksgiving!