No matter how “mature” one becomes, a trip to the dentist demands a post-appointment-self-reward of some sort. It just so happens that Mazzaro’s (inkwatu.com/2008/03/12/mazzaros-italian-market) is between my dentist’s office and my home!
Soft food (in this case spinach & sundried tomato lasagna and a cheese & brussels sprouts casserole side dish) was in order following getting a crown. The Mazzaro’s deli counter is unparalleled for all kinds of food, but they have a wide variety of casseroles and pastas and other soft foods.
The brussels sprouts casserole was just an impulsive guess on my part. I’d never tried it before. My goodness…! It’s terrific.
So, next day, I went looking online for a good recipe and found this one at the Disney Family Fun page (familyfun.go.com/recipes/cheesy-gratin-of-brussels-sprouts-684866). As everyone does, I modified a few things: didn’t have any thyme so I used sage and rosemary instead, doubled the amount of both cheeses, omitted the flour, used dry mustard instead of wet, and prepared the sauce in one pan, in stages, rather than in separate pans.
Most important change was substituting Lifeway Kefir for the milk. It made for a tangy, addicting taste that compliments the cheese just right and lifts this dish out of the ordinary. Here’s the Lifeway site: www.lifeway.net. If you’re not familiar with kefir, it’s a middle-eastern beverage made from milk that has low lactose and high probiotic content. Check out this site: www.kefir.net which even has instructions for making your own if you’re so inclined. One interesting feature, according to that site, is that it can be made from any kind of milk including milk from “cow, goat or sheep, coconut, rice or soy.” I prefer to just buy the Lifeway brand which is carried by Publix. It’s back near–but not in–the milk section. If you ask for help finding it, you may have to ask more than one worker before someone knows what you’re talking about. I get the full-fat, original style, but there’s a low-fat version.
I’m probably eating in a restaurant with a friend this coming Thanksgiving, but if I weren’t, if I were going to one of those traditional, family pot-luck dinners, I’d take this dish as my contribution!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“doubled the amount of both cheeses, omitted the flour” oooh, I like that! I’ve seen the Kefir at Publix but have yet to try it. That dish looks like a work of art. I have never eaten a brussell sprout but I heard they taste like a mix between broccoli and cabbage. I read that they are good baked in the oven with olive oil and garlic. I will have to try your recipe and expand my taste buds. Thanks for posting.
You’ll be hooked once you try them, Elaine. Bob used to steam them one of those little fan-like things you put into a saucepan. Then he’d season with olive oil and black pepper. Heavenly. I’ll be roasted or baked would be similar. Just be sure to trim off little hard stem and then cut them in half length-wise so they cook evenly. They also nuke well! Then season as Bob did with oil and pepper and/or garlic.