Monday, April 28, 2008

Try everything twice.

In addition to being a song lyric from a cool band, I think it's a good philosophy to have in life.

When trying new foods, I like to give second (or third) chances to food items that don’t immediately strike my fancy. This way I can make sure that I didn’t just have a bad version of something, and it gives my tastebuds a chance to adapt to the new sensation. If it weren’t for second chances, I would have a hole in my life where vegemite currently resides.

Last week when I tried Brussels sprouts for the first time since childhood, I wasn’t sold. I didn’t hate them, but they were too hard and the flavour just wasn’t that special. But on Thursday I was offered a free bag of them (a big bag). I have a hard time turning down free things, so of course I took them (free vegetables!).

So I tried them again, trimming the ends a bit better and cooking them in a hotter oven (210) for a touch longer (about 20 minutes). And they were good! Roasting them this way really brought out their flavour and made them a little crispy on the outside but oh so tender for the most part.

That was only half the free bag, though. I wanted to try them another way. I pulled out the Sunset Vegetable Cook Book from 1983, which I picked up from a book fair for 50 cents. There were two Brussels sprouts recipes in the book, but both had ham or bacon. I didn’t feel like veganising, and anyways, the recipes didn’t sound that great anyways. But at the beginning, in the book’s description of individual vegetables, the suggested seasonings for Brussels sprouts include butter, basil, chives, dill weed, minced parsley, rosemary, and thyme. I cooked my sprouts in a skillet with a bit of water until they were tender and the water was evaporated. Then I mixed through some butter, chopped fresh basil, and dried parsley. They were really good this way, too.

I’ve come around to Brussels sprouts.

It just goes to show—everything deserves a second chance.

12 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I'm obsessed with brussels sprouts, so I'm THRILLED that you like them now!! :0)

Anonymous said...

I definitely agree, most of what I eat now is stuff I've given a second chance to. I vow never to give up! Our tastes are always changing. =)

Theresa said...

Oops, Romina and Veggiegirl, I forgot to put the title on the post, which probably made the first sentence a little confusing! Fixed now!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I recently tried kiwi for a second time, after writing it off for years. I'm so glad I gave the little guy a second chance, because just like you with Brussels' sprouts, I loved them the second time!

Bianca said...

I love Brussel sprouts too! I liked them as a kid, but only ate them a couple times because my mom never made them. So I tried them again a few months ago, and I just love them roasted with a little garlic and olive oil. I'll have to try that second method. Those look great!

Thanks for your concern over the accident. My neck feels much better today!

Anonymous said...

ohh so glad you gave brussels sprouts a second (or third) chance)! They're so good!

You should try cooking it with pecans over a skillet. I forgot where I got the idea from (someones blog, sorry!). That's one of my favorite ways to cook them.

Alicia said...

I hate to admit this, but I hate brussels sprouts, and I haven't had them in years (if I ever ate them, not sure about that). I know I should try them... (I was so relieved with the last post about it, where you didn't like them, haha, but now I guess there's no coming back)

bazu said...

I'm glad your taste buds are coming around- made well, brussels sprouts are really lovely!

My favorite recipe for them involves:

earth balance
bread crumbs
white wine
lemon juice/zest

SOOOO good.

Unknown said...

'Try everything twice'- very sound advice indeed. I've been getting into b-sprouts over the past year too. I'm excited to try super fresh ones from the CSA this year. I heard that last year the CSA farmer invited everyone to his farm in the fall and you got to dig up whatever was left- B-sprouts right out of the ground must be awesome!

I assume you cooked them at 210 celcius not farenheit? Why doesn't America switch over to the metric system? It's so much more logical (and for engineering/technical calculations- so much easier!)

Vegan_Noodle said...

A great lesson to keep in mind. Oh and I'm so so glad you liked brussels more the second time around. It took me a few tries as well, but now that I've discovered them roasted, I can't get enought!

Sam said...

I am now promising myself that I will try those horrible vegetables again. Maybe my tastes have changed and they won't taste like sweat socks in my mouth...

Veggie said...

I hated them as a child too, but now I don't mind them as long as they're fresh.