The Sprouts of Wrath…
Everyone knows that brussels sprouts aren’t exactly the most loved vegetable in the world. In fact, I’m fairly sure that most people have, at one stage or another (and usually during childhood) held some degree of loathing for these tightly furled little dark green bundles. I myself fell into this catagory…despite the fact that I had never actually eaten a brussels sprout before, the mere thought of them was enough to make me wrinkle my nose and make me turn my head in disgust.
That is, until they were served to me a few years ago at an ex-boyfriend’s mother’s house. They were served for lunch and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. I poked, I prodded, I cut one half and tentatively forked a piece into my mouth.
And quickly came back for more. It was delightful, containing the earthy ‘green’ flavour you get with greens such as silverbeet or brocolli, slightly nutty and even slightly sweet! Whoever would have thought that such a tiny vegetable could contain so much flavour.
However, this love was quickly forgotten in the face of my usual favourites and so brussels sprouts disappeared from my mind until last week, when, whilst browsing the aisles at my supermarket, I spotted these uber-cuties! Tight little heads, leaves furled, dark green and promising. I’d never cooked them before, but I couldn’t resist buying a small punnet.
So, I brought them home and started browsing for recipes. No particular one took my fancy, but I saw that onion and bacon seemed to feature in many recipes, so I took that as my starting point.
Mmmm, adorable little sprout halves!
Ellie’s Sprouts of Joy
Ingredients
12-15 brussels sprouts heads
1 medium white onion
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 strips streaky bacon
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 lemon
1. Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting them in half and removing the tough outer leaves and carefully cutting out the core of the base as a triangle. Give them a good rinse to rid them of any dirt and put them aside for now.
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil and once the water is at a boiling roll, add the sprout halves and boil for about 5-10 minutes, however long it takes for the sprouts to become a bit soft but be wary of overcooking. Once they are cooked, quickly remove, refresh under cold running water and set aside.
3. Roughly dice the white onion and the bacon. Toss the chopped bacon into a frying pan and fry till nice and crisp, then remove from the pan, leaving behind the bacon fat. Fry the onion and garlic in the bacon fat till it has caramelised and become soft, then add the balsamic vinegar and stir through and fry till it has absorbed.
4. Toss in the sprouts and mix through till the juices from the onion and bacon have soaked through, squeeze the lemon juice over the top and serve 
Look at how pretty those little sprout halves are!
Technorati Tags: brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, bacon
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Comments
I looooove brussels sprouts! I cook them just the same way except I just throw them in the frying pan raw without boiling them first. They are FANTASTIC with bacon and onion. Mmmm….
Midgeling - I love them little tykes too, and aren’t they just perfectly photogenic? Mind, I had to hurry the photos as I couldn’t wait to dig into the dish 
Lady Lunchalot - Ooo, how long do you have to fry them for in the frying pan? I boiled mine first just on the stern advice one website gave about potential sulphur-y-ness and said that boiling helped to reduce it…? And I agree, bacon and onion make the perfect bedside partners for brussels sprouts 
Yes I was one of those “weird” kids who loved brussels sprouts. I’d get incredulous looks and snickers behind my back, but I didn’t care.. they are way too yummy to ignore! Yours look absolutely delicious, I will have to try this preparation the next time I make them. Normally I just pan fry them in butter, salt & pepper.. they are extra good the next day cold - if there’s any left. =)
Lis - awww, you were one of thooooooose kids, eh? One of the ones who had a mind of their own and didn’t follow the crowd And hey, I totally wish I’d had them like this as a kid - then I wouldn’t have missed all those years of eating them!
mmm, i do love brussle sprouts & always have had a fondness for them. this recipe looks tasty and i’ll be sure to bookmark.
Glad you like them! As great as these tasted, I think my next brussels sprouts experiment is going to involve roasting
Ummm… I just fry ‘em till they look done! I’ve never encountered any suplhuryness. they should go a little bit brown from cooking in the bacon fat, and have that beautiful nutty sprouty crunch.
I might skip the boiling next time and just fry them as you say - these were tasty, but I’d like to see what they taste like with a bit of crunch to them
Ooooh! I love Brussels sprouts. They are one of my favorite veggies! And your look so pretty!