Tiny and Tasty, Brussels Sprouts Don't Deserve Their Bad Rep

Not every country has its own personal cabbage, but Belgium does, and it's a masterpiece. The Brussels sprout, named for Belgium's largest city, is a familiar vegetable in the cabbage family with a highly unusual growth habit. Instead of forming one large head, it produces multitudes of tiny ones, bunched tightly along the stem.

If you think you dislike Brussels sprouts, you probably have been served old ones, further ruined by overcooking, which can come out as mushy little khaki-colored wads with a rank smell. Picked small, firm and fresh after a few frosts, then cooked briefly until just tender, they are sweet, mild-tasting and delicious. I think of them as the premier early winter treat and love to include them in Christmas dinner.

Brussels sprouts are often considered a cold-climate crop, and they are glorious in the north, but in fact they entered this country via French settlers in the Louisiana Delta. In regions with a hot growing season, you simply time them to mature during fall. If you can find transplants in a local nursery, mid-July is a good time to set these out. If not, the plants can still be direct-sown because the seeds germinate well in temperatures up to 86 degrees.

Plant in compost-rich soil with a pH of about 6.0, sow in clusters 18 inches apart in the row, then thin to one strong seedling per cluster. Keep them well irrigated, especially during germination. Diablo, Oliver and Jade Cross are all good varieties. I'm also partial to Rubine, whose leaves and sprouts turn a gorgeous purple that deepens as the temperatures fall.

Because the sprouts form from the bottom of the stem upward, cut or pluck off the lower ones first while firm and tightly closed. I sometimes sever the whole stem and store it in a cold place if severe weather threatens.

To prepare for cooking, slice off the bottom of each little sprout so that the outermost leaves fall away, then cut an X in the base. That makes the base cook faster, so it will be done at the same time as the leaves. Boil or steam the sprouts briefly, then plunge them into cold water to preserve their bright green color. They can then be reheated with butter in a pan. Or roast them and serve them with chestnuts on a chilly day.

You might also try the recipe for Cream of Brussels Sprouts Soup ("Spruitjesroomsoep") in Ruth Van Waerebeek's "Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook" (Workman Publishing 1996). It's a hearty dish thickened with egg yolks and would go splendidly with a tall glass of dark Belgian beer.