Food trends come and go, but one food making a comeback is Brussels sprouts. Before you turn up your nose, Executive Chef of Watershed Kitchen and Bar Jack Moore says you should give them a chance.
“You can sear or steam them. They're incredibly versatile. You can do almost anything with them,” he says. “I mean, anything that you do with a head of cabbage, you can do with a Brussels sprout.”
Moore says Columbus diners would be hard-pressed to find a sproutless menu, which indicates a rise in popularity.
“Every restaurant you go to has Brussels sprouts on the menu,” Moore says. “I think two years ago, they weren’t the vegetable of choice, but now it’s the hip vegetable. Here in Columbus, it’s a vegetable that is readily available to us almost all the time.”
Chefs take the oftentimes steamed, soggy, sulfur-smelling veggies and create a deep-fried dish full of crispy golden-brown greens coated with honey and lemon juice.
“Ours come off a little on the sweeter side. Straight out of the deep fryer, they're kind of bitter, so to counteract that bitterness, we've added honey,” Moore says. “You should be hit with lemon, sweetness and bitterness.”
The sprouts are then garnished with mint and black pepper.
“I wanted a little bit of heat in there, so that's where the black pepper comes from. Now you have something that's balanced out by a sweetness and then, to round off that sweetness, we put a lot of lemon juice in there,” Moore says.
Because he grew up in rural Ohio, Moore finds it important to support the community and local farmers. One way he does this by making sure to feature seasonal produce on his menus.
“Local honey is also something that is available to us all year round, so that’s something that I love to use,” he says. “For me to not use Brussels sprouts would be a dumb move. I wouldn't be showcasing what's available in our region.”
Recipe: Roasted Brussels sprouts
Want to recreate Watershed’s famous Brussels sprouts?
Ingredients
- Brussels sprouts
- Black pepper
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Mint
- Olive oil
- Salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Mix Brussels sprouts with olive oil in a large bowl until lightly covered
- Bake for 35 minutes or until crisp
- Drizzle on honey and add mint
Gillian Janicki is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
