If you think you don’t like Brussels sprouts and broccoli – think again. This tasty dish of roasted balsamic greens will convert anyone!
Believe me! Growing up, I referred to broccoli as my ‘spew food’. It wasn’t just the smell of it; it was the memory. Well, a particular memory actually.
When I was young, my father had a serious workplace accident, and we weren’t sure whether he would live. He was in the intensive care unit in Perth, almost 180km from where I lived, for weeks and weeks. He suffered severe chemical burns, and I couldn’t see him for quite some time. As my mother spent most of her time at the hospital, I stayed with family. They were family, but I hadn’t spent a lot of time with them before. They were a family of at least 4 children from my vague memory. I’m an only child. That’s where things got complicated.
Being an only child is pretty much code for ‘spoilt rotten’. I was treated like a precious doll, never made to do any household chores, my every whim catered for. My mother is an amazing cook, but I was still very fussy. I was never forced to eat anything I didn’t like; often ‘special’ meals were made for me while my parents ate something entirely different. I naturally developed a love of food, my tastes evolved as I explored at my own pace. A contrast to my husband, who still refuses to eat the mashed potatoes and peas he was forced to eat as a child.
But this family I stayed with while Dad was in hospital, well, they certainly weren’t quite as understanding of my ‘only child’ status. They were traditional. They were a big family with no time for preciousness or special treatment, and of the mindset (which was very common in the day) that you ate what was put in front of you, and it was disrespectful not to do so.
Now, as I mentioned, broccoli was already my ‘spew food’ – simply the smell of it as my mother boiled it away on the stove made me gag. The first night I sat at their dinner table, out came heaped bowls of pasta with broccoli. Looking back with my more mature tastes, I’m sure it was delicious. Pasta slicked with a garlicky butter sauce, tossed with cooked broccoli, served with lashings of grated parmesan cheese. But what my eight-year-old brain thought was quite different.
I stated boldly and matter-of-factly; “I can’t eat that.” All eyes turned to me, and the father scoffed with a half-smile, but a determined, firm response; “everyone eats what is put in front of you in this family” (or something to that effect). I don’t think anyone had ever said that to me before. but I firmly believed in that moment I had no choice. I panicked.
I can’t remember much else, but do I vividly remember the bile rushing up my throat and leaning directly over the steaming plate of food presented to me and vomiting right into my plate. This led to others around the table gagging as well. It certainly wasn’t a good first impression!
I don’t recall what I ended up eating that night, or if I did at all, or any other night while I stayed with this lovely family who were so generous to look after me while my father was fighting for his life in ICU. But – I do remember that every single day from that day forth, the mother would ask me if I liked what she was planning for dinner that evening. I cringe now just thinking about it… what a spoilt brat.
However, that memory only added to my aversion to the evil green vegetable. I have heard for some, Brussel sprouts can conjure similar feelings.
But this, I promise, is different….
Roasting vegetables really intensifies their flavour, the slight char from the oven gives a smokiness that steaming or boiling just can’t replicate. Bacon, well that just makes anything taste better with its salty punch, but if you want to make this vegetarian, by all means leave it out. The balsamic vinegar adds its own kick to make often disliked humble green veg into a real super-stars.
Don’t be alarmed by the whole garlic cloves. The garlic cooks in their skins, resulting in sweet, soft roasted flesh that can be smeared into the veg as you eat.
This is a great side dish to any roast or barbecued meat.
Balsamic Roasted Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large oven tray with baking paper.
- Remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and trim the ends. Cut in half.
- Cut the broccoli into florets.
- Place the vegetables onto your prepared oven tray with the bacon and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper and pour over the olive oil. Toss everything together so the vegetables are well coated.
- Cook for 20 minutes, turning every now and then. Add the balsamic vinegar, toss through to evenly coat and cook for a further 5–10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Recipe from my book – Food for Sharing Italian Style, New Holland Publishers, Photo – Jonathan VDK
Leave a Reply