Brussel Sprouts & Roasted Garlic Polenta

Local Brussel Sprouts, picked this morning!
Covered in oil, salt & pepper

Stirring plenty of roasted garlic into the polenta

mmm


I had never made brussel sprouts before. So, before getting started I briefed a chef at work about the process. He said that most people don't like brussel sprouts because they aren't prepared properly and are often overcooked. The problem is that the stem-end is tougher than the blossom end. So he told me to slice off as little as possible, just the tiniest tip of the stem end.. barely an 1/8 of an inch. Then take the knife and carefully slice a cross-section in that end, like an X into the stem, that way the entire brussel sprout will cook more evenly. At this point, you can leave them whole or cut em in half.

I tossed them in oil and roasted them until they looked, smelled and felt done. Meanwhile I was roasting garlic and making polenta. I added an entire head of roasted garlic into my polenta. Polenta is basically a blank canvas and can be sweet (ex. oranges, vanilla & marscapone) for breakfast and savory for any time. You can also enjoy it plain, simply seasoned with salt & pepper. I generally like mine creamy, but you can add more cornmeal/less liquid if you want it solid. It hardens in the fridge, but is still quite tender. You can even use cookie cutters to make fun shapes!

1 c fine cornmeal
3-5 cups liquid (water, stock, milk)
salt pepper
roasted garlic
oil/butter

Heat the liquid and just before it boils, start whisking in the cornmeal in a steady stream. For the next 15-20 minutes whisk frequently. You can add more cornmeal or water to reach your desired consistency. For thick cornmeal continue whisking/cooking until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pot. Season to taste & stir in roasted garlic and butter/oil. Then scrape into container to let cool/harden. For creamy polenta, cook until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.