Bucky's Brussels Sprouts

Bucky’s Brussels Sprouts
(this recipe was referred to, but not included in State of the Onion)

These cheesy herbed appetizers will change the mind of any hater of Brussels sprouts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts:25 fresh Brussels sprouts
4 quarts boiling water
1 tsp salt
2 quarts ice water

Blanch the Brussels sprouts for roughly 4 minutes each by dropping the sprouts 5-6 at a time into a 6 quart pan filled with boiling salted water. After four minutes, remove the sprouts with a slotted spoon, dropping them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Continue until all the sprouts have been blanched. Remove the sprouts from the ice water and let them dry.

Cut off stems from Brussels sprouts. Cut each Brussels sprout in half, beginning at the stem end and cutting down to the top of each sprout. Use a small melon ball to remove the middles of the sprouts. You can reserve these centers for a later use (they are great in soups and casseroles), or toss them. Lay the halved Brussels sprouts on their cut sides down on a paper towel covered surface and allow them to drain while you make the filling (below).

Arrange the drained sprouts rounded sides down on a large cookie sheet. You should end up with a tray full of hollowed out Brussels sprouts, hollowed side up. They are now ready to stuff.

Stuffing:
4 oz. good feta (goat) cheese at room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, softened.
2 TBSP fresh dill, chopped (or 1 TBSP dried dill)
2 cloves garlic mashed and minced (or to taste)
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
1 TBSP of olive oil

Mix together ingredients in a medium bowl until combined.

Assembly:

Place a heaping tablespoon full of filling into each hollowed out Brussels sprout. Place the tray of filled Brussels sprouts into the preheated oven. Cook until filling is melted and sprouts are warmed through—about 12-15 minutes. Turn on broiler, cook until cheese filling bubbles and begins to brown—about 1-2 minutes.Remove from oven and serve warm.

In this recipe, I substituted Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese for the feta and it worked out marvelously. My family and I don't particularly care for Brussels sprouts but these were a hit. I've made them three times so far, and they keep asking for me to make them again.

Let me know if you like these. I'll be sure to pass along your comments to Bucky!

Enjoy!