Brussels Spouts with Sausage

I have been to Brussels; I did not eat any sprouts there, though I did have a family style meal in a little hotel in a residential district. It had a flagstone floor, and the tables were thick slabs of wood, polished over generations by diners enjoying simple fare. My meal was the special few boiled new potatoes, some cooked carrots, peas and boiled sausages with whole grain mustard. Good homey food served with a smile by a jolly round woman with rosy cheeks, pigtails and a green apron. I remember it well, I was only in Brussels the one night before my flight home, and I never did find the Grand Place that is supposed to be so wonderful. I did however find a giant Tintin billboard, but that was hard to miss being in front of the train station with Herge’s signature underneath it.

Here is a fun parlor game, or road trip game: Name ten famous Belgians. That’s it, that’s the name of the game and the goal and the instructions rolled into one.

Uh, I can do this, I know I can.

1. Jean Claude Van Damme

2. St. Damien of Molokai

3. Peter Paul Rubens

4. The Brueghel’s (I don’t think I can get credit for all four of them can I? Jan, Jan the younger, Pieter and Pieter the Younger? Isn’t that like a quadruple word score in scrabble? Ok fine have it your way…

5. Anthony Van Dyke

6. Herge (Creator of Tintin and Snowy!)

7. Jan Van Eck

8. Leopold I (Do kings count as famous? Or do they just count as kings? I’m going to count it.)

9. Detective Hercule Poirot (do fictional people count? No? Ok I will run with Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone

10. The Smurfs, it’s a stretch but they are of Belgian creation.

HAHA! I did it (sort of) ok, next lets try ten famous Latvians.

My Uncle Stanislaus (Who isn’t really famous outside of Bob’s Chow Hole, Bar, Bait, Tackle and Feed Store, Big Sandy, MT.and also really isn't my uncle.)

Uhhhh...hmmmm I can’t think of any more, sorry.

Ok, on with Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

Ingredients for 4 marshmallowy peeps:

1 Large onion sliced

1-6 cloves of garlic chopped fine

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Pound of Brussels sprouts fresh or frozen

1 Pound of smoked or polish sausage sliced

1 14.5oz Can of diced tomatoes with juice

½ Cup of water

2 Teaspoons of Italian seasoning

1 Small bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

How you do this I tell you now: 

Cook the onion and the garlic in the olive oil for a couple of minutes until just lightly softened, add the sliced sausage and cook stiring occasionally so sausage get s lightly browned all over. Add the tomatoes and their juicyness scrape up any browned bits that have addheared to the bottom of the pan. The BCB’s (Burnt Crunchy Bits) may be carcinogenic, but they are ooooh so good. Add the sprouts, the water and seasoning. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes till Brussels sprouts are just tender. Serve with rice or warm crusty bread.