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Not your grandma's brussels sprouts: 3 recipes to try this holiday season

Brussels sprouts, one of the most polarizing vegetables for children and adults alike, can be tasty, according to several Island chefs.

3 Island chefs share their favourite recipes

Malcolm Campbell · CBC News ·
Brussels sprouts aren't very well liked by some, but with some butter and bacon that might start to change. (Shutterstock)

Brussels sprouts, one of the most polarizing vegetables for children and adults, can indeed be tasty according to several Island chefs.

While this may seem counter-intuitive to some, try one of these recipes before making up your mind, again.

Butter-bronzed brussels sprouts

'There's a very good chance, over-boiled, anaemically under-seasoned is how readers might have repeatedly had them served to them,' says Chef Ilona Daniel about why you might not like brussels sprouts. (CBC)

Chef Ilona Daniel, owner of Tribe Fresh Events and Consulting, says she's always loved brussels sprouts, but thinks she knows why people often loathe the little greens.

"There's a very good chance, over-boiled, anemically under-seasoned is how readers might have repeatedly had them served to them," Daniel said in an email.

She offers a different take on the traditional holiday veggies.

"My version invites bacon, butter to bronze and caramelize the brussels sprouts to liven up the holiday table."

Daniel also said this could be a good opportunity to get roasted, peeled chestnuts into a dish.

"In addition to [the pecans], or substitute. In my mind, the more the merrier!" she said.

Check out the recipe here.

Potato and brussels sprout salad

Sarah Forrester Wendt says she grew up in a vegetarian household so there was no getting away from an array of produce. (Richard Schroeter)

Sarah Forrester Wendt, chef and owner of My Plum My Duck in Charlottetown, said she grew up in a vegetarian household so there wasn't a chance to be picky with food.

She quickly had an idea when it came to getting people on the train to brussels sprouts town, pairing the Island's most famous crop with one of its least likely companions.

This recipe could be a good way of getting the compact cabbage-like greens into a holiday dinner.

Check out the recipe here.

Maple pecan roasted brussels sprouts

'What I've prepared for the tentative brussels sprouts eaters isn't comparable to your grandmother's over cooked mush,' says Lucy Morrow, chef at Terre Rouge Craft Kitchen. (Submitted by Lucy Morrow)

Lucy Morrow, chef at Terre Rouge Craft Kitchen, said she doesn't think a person's food preferences are always set in stone, and their views can be changed. 

"My initial inclination when a person doesn't particularly care for a certain food, is to give them their best chance at liking it," she said. 

Morrow said she has tried to put her own unique spin on the traditional tastes associated with brussels sprouts.

"What I've prepared for the tentative brussels sprouts eaters isn't comparable to your grandmother's over cooked mush. I've taken a few classic, user-friendly flavour combinations, and gave them a little personality."

Check out the recipe here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Malcolm Campbell

Web Writer

Malcolm moved to Ottawa in December of 2020 after spending four years on Prince Edward Island working for CBC there. You can reach him at malcolm.campbell@cbc.ca.

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