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I hate Brussels sprouts. My aversion to “The Sprouts” goes back to elementary school days when my parents and grandparents insisted I follow the Clean Plate Club and eat every bite of food placed in front of me and that included Brussels sprouts.
As a kid, I wasn’t considered a picky eater. I choked down chicken liver with onions, Vienna sausages, overcooked vegetables, tuna noodle casserole, fried bologna, and canned ham. I ate it all. But disgusting tiny, green, soggy, lettuce balls? Barf!
Even the name alone irked me, “Brussels sprouts. “ What’s with the capital B and the extra ‘s’ at the end? No other vegetable gets the right to have a capital. It’s so uppity.
For February, I challenged myself to try something new. The goal? Eat Brussels sprouts.
First, I searched for recipes with loads of cheese and bacon. These extra ingredients have been proven to convince the most finicky eater to give it a try.
In the opinion of the Internet chefs, people hate the sprouts because they are usually overcooked and often from a box of frozen contents. I followed the recipe, blanching the little buggers for 3-5 minutes then dousing in ice water. Bright, green cabbages are more appealing.
Next, I whipped a mixture of milk, flour and Parmesan cheese to a thick, gooey consistency. I poured it on top and baked for 20 minutes. Bingo! It looked edible and a tiny bit tasty. Served with steak and salad, it made the perfect accompaniment.
Tonight’s meal was poorly attended. My son begged out and invited himself to a friend’s for dinner. My husband sat down, took one look at his plate and said, “Fine. I’ll try one.” He skewered half a sprout, plunked it in his mouth and said, “It wasn’t as bad as I thought but I’m not eating any more.”
Over the lips and past the gums, watch out stomach, here it comes.
I scooped up a few with a fork but paused near my lips. I threw up a little in my mouth. It wasn’t too bad but the bitter aftertaste bubbled up into my throat.
I could only finish half a small portion but have upgraded my original opinion from hate to dislike. Final verdict, you can keep ‘em!
For the recipe, click on the link below.
http://leitesculinaria.com/77791/recipes-brussels-sprouts-gratin.html
What about you? Do you have foods from your childhood you detest?
Loved this! You’re my hero! I won’t even try new foods! I’m a real food phobic! That said, my husband, who loves BS (Brussels Sprouts, that is) has a tasty recipe for them. So I eat the BS, but won’t touch asparagus. Go figure!
I laughed so hard! It reminded me of my daughter, Courtney, when she was two. We went shopping at the grocery store. Mistake number one was taking a two-year-old to the grocery store. She saw those tiny green balls and begged for them. Instead of applauding her willingness to try something new, I said, “You won’t like them, I promise.” It spiraled into an argument with me ending it by saying, “If I buy those disgusting things, you WILL eat them.” An hour after she finished the rest of dinner, and only one small bite into the three Brussels sprouts on her plate, I took pity and let her leave the table. I dread thinking of the permanent damage I did.