Adobe Stock
Brassicas are a family of plants that includes a huge number of all-time veggie hits. You’ve got your broccoli, your cauliflower, your cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale. Turnips? That’s a brassica. Collard greens and arugula, too. Bok choy? Oh yeah. And don’t forget radishes!
You may hear these described as “cruciferous vegetables,” named for their distinctive structure that resembles a cross. Brassica is a genus in the mustard family. If you’re at all interested in the history of food cultivation, it’s fascinating to see how so many different vegetables were bred from a single great-great-grandplant.
This group of veggies varies wildly in shape, color, and size. However, they all have a ton of vitamins and minerals. All brassicas are a great source of vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K. The types where we eat the leaves–kale and collards–also have the highest levels of calcium in the plant kingdom.
Many doctors and nutritionists recommend eating plants from this family because of their potential health benefits. These veggies are high in glucosinolates, a compound that’s been linked to preventing cancer in some studies.
One word of warning: If you follow the FODMAPs diet, give brassicas a pass. They can cause tummy troubles in people who have trouble digesting
Many of these veggies have a bitter taste when raw. Depending on whether you are eating the flower buds (yes, that’s what broccoli is) or the leaves, you’ll want to approach cooking differently. Raw, shredded cabbage, bok choy, kale, and even broccoli stems can make a delicious salad. Add mayo and vinegar to the mix and you’ve got coleslaw. Ferment it and suddenly it’s sauerkraut.
One of the reasons that Brussels sprouts, in particular, have a bad reputation is that the standard way to cook them was boiling or steaming. That can release the sulfurous reek that made generations of kids run from the dinner table. Overcooked, any vegetable will get mushy and unpleasant. So how can you make them delicious?
It’s all about roasting at a high heat. All you need is a little fat, such as olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. As the vegetables heat up, the Maillard (my-ard) reaction will take place. That’s what creates those crunchy, brown, delightfully nutty, and sweet bits. The oven needs to be preheated to 400 degrees, and plan to leave the veggies in there for about 18-20 minutes. Make sure not to crowd the pan–they need enough space to safely release steam without making their neighbors mushy.
The caramelization of the natural sugars found in these plants makes them pretty tasty on their own. Balancing the sweet and savory flavors with a dash of acid from balsamic vinegar or lemon juice is a classic cooking technique. Roasting whole cloves of garlic alongside the vegetables is another good choice. Woody herbs like thyme or rosemary work well, too.
We don’t cook a lot of turnips in America, and that’s a shame. But this overlooked member of the brassica group is a flavor chameleon. You can use it in many recipes that call for potatoes instead, including mashed and roasted.
