'Cause I'm a Brussler, Baby!

A new post already? What's going on?! Is the world imploding?

Naw, I just want to get as many of these posted as possible before Thanksgiving comes around. Here I was thinking I had another couple of weeks. I was rudely awoken from my dreams of nicely spaced out posts when I was getting coffee today. Another patron was talking to one of the baristas about Thanksgiving being next week and how he didn't have any plans. First of all, I feel you. I've been there many a time myself. Second, WHAT?! NEXT WEEK? NO WAY! So I checked my phone and, by George, he was right! Well crap....

So here we are: Another dish you can bring to your gatherings this holiday season! This one is a super-duper simple one that takes only a few ingredients and a very short amount of time. I wasn't able to enjoy the splendor that is the brussels sprout until I reached adulthood because my mom hated them. I know a lot of people either don't like them after trying them, or think they don't like them because of what other people have said about them. What I've found is that they, like all cruciferous vegetables, suffer flavor and texture wise when they are overcooked. I mean, I can't say there are many veggies that are particularly wonderful overcooked, but because of the sulfuric compounds in this particular family of vegetables, the fair quite badly. Because of this, they don't do well in things like stews, roasts or with other long cooking methods. Along with this, please keep in mind to NEVER BOIL BRUSSELS SPROUTS! You can steam them, you can blanch them, but never boil them. That's just asking for a pan full of gaseous "goodness". Overcooking is where that "fart" smell comes from, and while it is still kind of there in non-overcooked sprouts, it's only as noticeable as it is in properly cooked broccoli, cauliflower and so forth. It's unfortunate that so many people only know brussels sprouts in their overdone form, because when done right, they are delicious. My husband claimed to dislike brussels sprouts, so one night I shaved some up and hid them in a stir fry I made. Like with a child, I only told him after he had cleaned his plate that I just ate something he supposedly hated. They still aren't his favorite vegetable, but he eats them if I make them now.

Since not overcooking sprouts is the most important thing to having a successful dish of them, I chose this recipe to make that goal achievable for even the most novice of chefs. In this dish, you use pre-shaved brussels sprouts with some bacon and aromatics to create a dish that when all is said and done only takes about 10 minutes to make and is a wonderful introduction to the vegetable. Because, bacon! Of course, you can always shave your own sprouts, but it will double the time it takes the make this, so if expediency is a factor, keep that in mind. This recipe is also great for anyone on a keto diet since the dish literally consists of vegetables and fat.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

• 20 oz shaved brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 6 slices of bacon, diced
• 2 Tbsp. Kerry Gold butter
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garma masala*
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium/high heat. When pan is hot, add diced bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside for now, leaving the fat in your pan.
2. Reduce the heat to medium/low and add in onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add 1/2 tsp of salt to your onions and stir before adding the garlic and butter to your pan and stirring again.
3. Add brussels sprouts into your pan. Stirring to combine, make sure that your sprouts are evenly coated with fat and butter. Saute for approximately 5 minutes or until sprouts are tender.
4. Remove from heat and add garam masala*, salt and pepper to taste.
5.  

*Note that garam masala is not a necessity in this recipe, but when combined with the butter, it creates a nutty flavor that goes deliciously with the sprouts. 




If you want to mix things up or add some more texture and flavor to the dish, you can toss in a handful of dried cranberries and/or a handful of sliced almonds. I would add these at the end of cooking if you choose to add them. Note that the nutrition fact listed here do not include these additions, so you'd have to recalculate.



So there it is, folks. Another recipe that you can share with your friends and family this holiday season. What do you think? Are you a fan of brussels sprouts? What's your favorite way to cook them? As always, please feel free to contact me with any ideas, questions or concerns. I'm here to help!