Brussels Sprout Love Bacon Too

One thing that I regret is not taking pictures of the Christmas dinner I made last month.  Not to toot my own horn (I suppose that's what having a blog is for  though right?) but I really nailed it.  I will have to make everything again for easter and take photos then. 

One holiday classic I can't seem to get enough of these days is Brussels sprouts!

I didn't start eating them until I was an adult.  My mom doesn't like them so she never made them.  The first couple of times I had them I didn't really care for them either.  They were overcooked, bitter and bland.  But then one day, and I can't remember when but my view towards these little fellas was completely transformed.  When combined with sweet, salty and a little crispy, brussels sprouts are everyone's favourite!  I wonder if my mom's feelings about them would changed if I served her this variety.

Yes, as the title of this suggests, I made these Brussels sprouts with bacon.  And bacon really does make a lot of foods better.  But I also recommend venturing out and trying other delicious cured meats with your sprouts for a change.  At Christmas time I used pancetta and I also recommend prosciutto.  Superstore has chopped pancetta that screamed "Throw me in your Brussels sprouts, I won't disappoint you".  How can you say no to talking cured meat??

When Steve's parents came to visit a few months ago Steve took out a rack of ribs while I was on veggie duty.  I've never made a rack of ribs before and Steve did a great job without my help.  He slowed cooked them on the bottom rack on the oven on a low temperature for a couple hours brushing them regularly with bbq sauce with chopped garlic added.  They turned out great and complimented the sprouts perfectly.

Now that your mouth is watering for ribs let's get to sprouts which I kept really simple with this recipe.

Maple Sprouts

1/2 package bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

4 Cups Brussels sprouts

4 tbsp of maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large non-stick skillet cook the bacon over medium heat.  When the bacon is just over half done (5-8 min) drain the fat.

2. Add Brussels sprouts and maple syrup continue to cook for 5-10 min until sprouts are a bright green with a lid on the skillet.

3.  Remove heat and turn heat up on skill to high (not quite max heat).  Stir continuously until sprouts are a nice brown colour and starting to get crispy.

4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

I don't remember but I sure hope we had a salad or something before diving into this meal!  Oh well if we didn't it was rustic and simple and sometimes that fills the belly better than anything else!