A childhood dislike, or indeed an almost morbid fear and hatred of brussels sprouts led me to not eating them for many, many years. Apart from the obligatory sprout on the festive dinner plate, which was usually discarded, meant I never sampled them much in adulthood. Maybe memories of school dinners, over cooked and mushy sprouts has caused many an adult to avoid them too.
A few years ago, I stumbled across a recipe for sprouts which was far from the mushy green balls of vile – to be honest – really, really tasty and a pleasure to eat accompanying any decent meal. In fact, it led me to actually enjoying a few steamed sprouts, with Sunday lunches over the winter months – so long as cooked properly and only fresh sprouts are used!
This recipe is so easy, I haven’t bothered to note weights required, just use common sense, and your sense of taste and enjoy the results!
INGREDIENTS
Enough Sprouts To Feed You And Your Guests
A Shallot or Two
A Clove or Two of Garlic Finely Chopped
Smoked Bacon or Pancetta
A Good Slug of Your Favourite Olive Oil, Small Lump of Butter
Take your favourite frying pan, gently heat the olive oil and lightly fry the bacon and shallots, and then the chopped garlic, making sure you don’t burn any of it. Gently sauté. After you’ve washed your sprouts, cut the tough stalk bit off the bottom and discard. Shred the Brussels sprouts and place in a bowl, if you are keen on a therapeutic relaxation shred them by hand, of course if you prefer just chuck them into your food processor and whiz for a few seconds! Take the shredded sprouts and add them to your pan, gently fry for a few minutes, taking care not to over-cook. Add a little salt and a touch of black pepper to season, adding a little butter if you like. Serve and enjoy!