Thanksgiving 2010 Part 2: Brussel Sprouts w/Bacon

I love brussel sprouts and during my weekly grocery visits, I tend to gravitate towards those mini cabbages.  These have consistently been on our holiday menu for the past few years, and each year, we make slight adjustments.  We've roasted, we've boiled, we've steamed, we've added pinenuts, we've added pancetta, we've added proscuitto, we've added orange...  So many variations, but I think this year's recipe could be it.  So good!

Brussel Sprouts w/Bacon

2 lbs brussel sprouts (We had two large quart containers from the store so I'm estimating two lbs)

3 strips of bacon cut into small cubes (if you used the thanksgiving turkey recipe, save three strips for this dish as well)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1/4 of an onion, sliced into thin strips

S&P

1. Clean and cut the hard end off of each brussel sprout. Boil a large pot of salted water. Once boiling, add the brussel sprouts and cook for 2 minutes - no more!  Take out and put into a large bowl of iced water - to spot the cooking process immediately.  Once they are cooled enough for you to handle, but each into quarters (you can leave whole, cut into halves, whatever you prefer).

2. I like to cut up my bacon, onion and garlic before cooking (picture below is the bacon, garlic for both my brussel sprouts and green bean dish). 

3. Add the bacon to a pan and heat up.  Let it crisp up (roughly 4 minutes) before adding the garlic and onions.  Let this cook for another 5-7 minutes until the onions and garlic are soft.  Continually mix this so nothing overcooks or burns. Add just a tad of salt (bacon should have added some saltiness) and freshly ground pepper.

4. Add in the brussel sprouts and mix well.  Let the flavors coat the brussel sprouts and have a quick taste.  Add some more S&P if you need.

Optional:  You can add in roasted pinenuts.  You can also then put these on a pan and put them under the broiler to let the brussel sprouts crispen up a bit.  Lastly, you can also add a small drizzel of balsamic vinegar (not to be mistaken w/balsamic dressing...) and lightly toss.

Enjoy!

Brussel Sprouts w/Proscuitto

What is the perfect side dish to so many chicken dishes, spaghetti or steak? Or even a great complement to mashed potatoes? Brussel sprouts spruced up with some yummy crunchy bits of proscuitto.

Side note. Since I mentioned mashed potatoes, I have to talk about a recent experience of some of the best I've had in quite a long time. Last Sunday was my cousin's wedding and for the dress rehearsal dinner, we had these amazing potatoes that I can hardly explain. It was creamy but thick at the same time. Had a significant substance to them but no lumps. No apparent herbs but incorporated a type of cheese that I can't exactly pinpoint.  This was one of those moments where you immediately start comparing any future mash potatoes tastings to that one little pile of yummy goodiness on your plate. Agh.

I digress. Back to brussel sprouts. I didn't always like to eat these little suckers. It hasn't been until the past few years where I realized that simply cooking brussel sprouts with a little salt, pepper and olive oil in the oven was so delicious. And healthy! This is a quick side dish to complement rice or meat. Its a little salty and lightly crunchy due to the proscuitto. Yum!

Brussel Sprouts with Proscuitto

Serves 4-6

1-1.5 lbs brussel sprouts

4 slices proscuitto

pinch of garlic salt

S&P

1. Thoroughly clean the brussel sprouts and slice them into strips. Slice the proscuitto into small strips (I like to roll a slice of proscuitto into a log and then slice)

2. Heat pan with a little bit of olive oil and quickly cook the proscuitto. Add in the brussel sprouts and let it cook for a little while longer. Add a pinch of garlic salt and pepper. Take a quick taste check and if needed, add some salt. Serve while still hot!