Lemony oil spurs sprouts tolerance

It's true. I'm not a fan of the Brussels sprout. My earliest exposure to the tiny cabbage-like balls came as the result of a bribe when I was about 6 years old. My mother said my brother and I could stay up an extra 30 minutes later for each Brussels sprout we ate.

I tried, I really tried. Repeatedly, I'd take half a sprout on my fork and as it neared my open mouth the aroma of rotten cabbage would penetrate my nose and mouth. I could not do it.

Meanwhile, my brother (who is older and, one could argue, wiser) worked his fork around his plate, taking bits of food and pushing them around, then taking bites. For all appearances he was eating his Brussels sprouts. He got to stay up until 10:30 p.m.

I was off to bed at 9.

I turns out my brother didn't eat a single sliver of a sprout. All that forking around was just his way of shoving the sprouts under the ample pile of ketchup on his plate.

In the decades since that evening in our yellow-flower-wallpapered kitchen in the little blue house (though I think it was green at the time), I've given Brussels sprouts many more chances. I've tried them cooked half a dozen different ways: boiled, steamed, braised, fried, baked, shaved and sauteed. With cheese sauce, bacon and beer (though not all three together). And each time I was disappointed.

So I gave up. About five years ago I added Brussels sprouts to the permanent dislike list. They joined turnips, oysters (both of the sea and of the Rocky Mountains), soft goat cheese and mushrooms.

But it turns out I judged Brussels sprouts too soon.

After preparing the Brussels sprouts in photos featured on this page, I thought it would be a shame to let the food go to waste, so I gave them a taste.

They were nutty, almost sweet. Nothing like what I remembered.

I won't go so far as to say I like Brussels sprouts. But if someone were to serve them to me roasted in a bath of lemon-zest-infused olive oil with plenty of salt and ground black pepper, I would not complain.

Food on 03/04/2015

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