And...it took me 26 years of my life to try brussels sprouts. However, I have learned that when prepared properly and ONLY bought during peak season, brussels sprouts are de-li-cious. Seriously. A few ways you can learn by my mistakes are listed below:
1. I already said this, but buy brussels sprouts in season - fall through mid-Feb
2. Think of them as baby cabbage. Cut off the end and peel away the first layer or two of leaves
3. Don't keep them lingering in your fridge. Five days tops. If you notice yellowish leaves, just toss them because they will have a bitter taste even when cooked.
4. Allowing heat and liquid to penetrate through the various layers of leaves eliminated the bitterness. I have accomplished this two ways - Cut X's into the bottom of each sprout prior to boiling or shred. Shredding is my preferred tasty method and I will share a recipe below.
5. While cooking, watch for the color to turn bright green. Once that happens, remove from heat so they don't get mushy.
Warning: This is not one of my most healthiest recipes. Hard to believe, but I do cook like a porker once in awhile. However, it will make a brussels sprout believer out of you!
Kristyn's Bacon & Brussels
Ingredients:
4-5 pieces of bacon
2 tbsp butter
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sliced almonds (pine nuts would taste good too)
24 brussels sprouts, finely shredded. Discard the ends and the bottom hard parts, in general. You want the leafy greens.
Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook 4-5 pieces of bacon until crispy. Reserve the grease into a small bowl. Set the cooked bacon on a piece of paper towel to drain & cool.
2. Add 2 tbsp butter into the skillet and sauté the shallots and garlic until soft.
3. Add the almonds and toast until lightly browned. But don't burn the garlic!
4. Add the brussels sprouts and 2 tbsp of bacon grease. Toss constantly in the skillet with a set of tongs. Cook until bright green.
5. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.
Enjoy! Kristyn
