Day 42 - If Brussels Sprouts Are From Brussels. . .

.    . shouldn't they be called Brussel's sprouts?  With an apostrophe?  Yes, my job with the grammar police does extend to fruits and vegetables and this has been a question that has been plaguing me for a long time (not).

For most people, the Brussels sprout holds a high place in the Pantheon Of Food I'd Never Eat As A Child.  And many people have never gotten past that.  They turn up their noses at a vegetable that is deeply flavorful and kind of fun to mess around with on the plate.

My favorite Brussel's sprouts (see there, I'm starting a movement) recipe has to be the one my sister serves at Thanksgiving.  She browns halved Brussel's sprouts in butter and minced shallots, then pours cream over them and serves them with roasted pine nuts and marjoram sprinked in.  The cream seeps between all the little leaves and biting into one is just heavenly.

Well, there will be no cream involved in my future encounters with this little cabbage, or "petit choux" as the French would say.  Nor will there be any roasted pine nuts.  But the Brussel's sprout will still have a place on my menu.  Today, I'm going to try a recipe I found on one of my favortie sites -- FatFree Vegan Kitchen.  It's for Brussels Sprouts and Shitake Mushroom Soup.  Though it won't be loaded with calories and fat, I'm hoping that it will still be fun to eat.  Do you hear that, mon petit choux, I'm coming for you!

ETA:  I made this by the recipe and found the Brussels sprouts got too mushy cooking as long as the brown rice.  Next time, I'll simmer the soup until the Brussels sprouts are just done, then add cooked brown rice and the cannelini beans.  The broth for this soup is also made better by the addition of a tablespoon of miso!