Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Pine Nut Gremolata

Cook Brussels sprouts quickly in the microwave, then top with a fresh lemon and pine nut gremolata. 

Are Brussels sprouts the new kale? I’ve been seeing them in markets and on menus all over the place – shaved raw into salads and roasted to a smoky-edged char in wood-fired ovens.

I didn’t know how much I could love Brussels sprouts, but that’s because when I was growing up my mom didn’t cook them – I don’t remember intriguing miniature cabbages appearing anywhere on the table when I was a kid.

Were they not farmed on a large scale back then or were they just not a part of my family’s food tradition? I have a feeling they were the kind of vegetable you bought frozen in the 70’s, which might explain why I never laid eyes on a fresh Brussels sprout until I was an adult.

Even a just few years ago, those fresh-picked stalks with the sprouts still attached were kind of a novelty in produce departments, but now I see them everywhere.  It also never occurred to me that they could be so easily – and quickly – cooked in the microwave, with really delicious results.

My daughter shares a passion for them, so I’ve been popping Brussels sprouts in the microwave for a snack or quick meal for the two of us.

The man and the boy in our house have no interest in eating foods that when cooked might even remotely smell like a fart (tell me, what is UP with that? … definitely a guy thing), so it’s been our little treat.

We usually just drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt, but this toasted pine nut gremolata — a chopped garnish with parsley, fresh lemon zest and Parmesan — is quick to make and tastes so right with their sweet, nutty character.