Deconstructed Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are in season, and here is a genius way to cook them. Turn them into a pile of leaves and give them the briefest stir over heat for a medley of tender, bright greens.

Deconstructing sprouts is easy with a good little paring knife – actually, bait knives from Eastman’s make perfect instruments. Count about 8 sprouts for 2 people as a side dish, and scale up the recipe for as many people as you need to feed.

Brussels, Deconstructed

• 8 medium to large Brussels sprouts, rinsed
• 2 tsp. butter
• salt and pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• chopped parsley (optional)

Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and pull off outer leaves. Keep trimming stem and removing leaves from each sprout, until you’re left with a little yellow nubbin. At this point you can either core the stem (with a swivel of the bait-knife point) and pull the nubbin apart, or simply slice the nubbin in half.

Rinse the leaves while you melt butter in a pan; a deep sauté pan or wok is perfect. Drain leaves and toss them wet into the pan. Stir around to coat all the leaves in buttery water, and cover with a lid. Steam, covered, over medium-high heat for 30 seconds, then uncover to give the leaves another stir. Keep going like this, steaming and stirring, for about 4 minutes, until leaves are just tender, glistening, and brilliant green. If the pan gets dry, add a spoonful of water.

Season sprouts with salt, pepper, and nutmeg if you like, and finish with a pinch chopped parsley.