- November 23, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
As Thanksgiving approaches, many families are planning their menus. And in my family, although the celebration usually includes the men sitting on the couch while the women cook, to avoid a kitchen backup, my mom assigns parts of the meal out.
My grandmother usually makes a dessert and, of course, the turnips and carrots that I shared with you last year. My mother makes the mains: turkey, stuffing, mashed and a vegetable. I have just recently started to be trusted with making a portion of the main meal. Instead of making my usual apple pie or cheese platter, last year, I was assigned my mom’s sweet potato casserole. It was a success, so that's my job again this year.
But don’t tell my family: This Thanksgiving, I might make a few slight recipe changes.
My other assignment is fresh cranberry sauce. Making cranberry sauce from berries is not a hard job; I follow the instructions on the bag, except, I split the water with orange juice for a little something extra. My favorite part of making the cranberry sauce is watching it form; well, actually, it’s watching the cranberries pop — so much fun. I also love using it in leftover recipes, which is something I will talk about next week.
(If you have any Thanksgiving leftover recipes to share, email [email protected])
But for this week, instead of sharing one of my own recipes, I am going to share one that my good friend Sean O’Brien makes for his family.
Smothered with bacon, garlic, balsamic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko, this bacon-braised Brussels sprouts recipe is sure to get any kid to eat his vegetables, even the dreaded Brussels sprout.
Bacon-braised Brussels sprouts
What you need:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, washed and cut in half
4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) bacon, cut into small squares
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed, plus 2 cloves, roughly chopped
4 sprigs thyme, plus 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put a large pan on medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until fat renders, 2-3 minutes. Add the smashed garlic clove, thyme sprigs and Brussels sprouts, and cook gently until slightly caramelized.
Add stock and reduce heat to a simmer.
Season with salt and a little pepper, and then cover and simmer 12-15 minutes until tender. Remove lid, add a splash of vinegar and reduce until syrupy, 2-3 minutes.
After Brussels sprouts are done cooking, put them in an oven-safe dish. In a sheet tray, toss bread crumbs with rosemary, thyme leaves and chopped garlic, then drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture and Parmigiano over Brussels sprouts and bake until golden and crispy.
- Adapted from foodnetwork.com
*Do you have a holiday recipe to share with the community? Send in a recipe for the Holiday special section to [email protected] by Nov. 28.
