The Unlikely Stardom of Brussels Sprouts

By Regina Schrambling, Epicurious.com

If someone had told me even five years ago that these would be such a hot vegetable, I'd have wondered what produce planet he or she was living on. But I just saw people filling big bags with them at Union Square, and Thanksgiving can't be their excuse.

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At our turkey dinner complete with Brussels sprouts, a friend who frequents buzz-worthy restaurants more than I do was wondering what has made them so ubiquitous. My guess is quality and seasonality. Even in supermarkets you can now find them fresh and loose, not in those plastic-covered pint cups that lasted just short of a whole winter. And seeing them still on the stalk in farmers' markets reminds you they do have a peak harvest.

But I also suspect Americans have become better cooks by chef example. Rather than boil these little challenges into submission, we've learned to steam them fast or separate them into piles of leaves to sauté even faster. Or, most radically, roast them to a char. Blackened anything seduces.

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And while I avoided the whole issue in posting about Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes (note Esther's unlinkable comment), I do have to say the new mania for Brussels sprouts seems more mystifying when you consider the after-effects. They are a member of the cruciferous family, after all. And that's a bunch of blowhards.

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