Crunchy and Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

It’s the season for the little green baby Brussel sprouts! Buy a whole stalk and pluck away only when you want to cook them. You can store them longer this way and only use the ones you need to make your dish.

For this simple recipe, use these either you-hate’em-or-love’em vegetable–to finally sway that picky palate to the latter. My secret is adding some chopped caramelized honey pecans to counterbalance the bitter and tart taste. When cooking this simple dish, do not cover as this will make them soggy and less crunchy.

Ingredients:

1 stalk of Brussel Sprouts (30 knobs)

2 small size shallot onion

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of coarsely chopped caramelized pecans

Instructions:

Prepare the Brussel sprouts by plucking from the stalk and placing them in a bowl. Wash under cool running water, then drain on to a layer of paper towel, rolling around to dry. Then cut each sprout across in half. Place in a large bowl.

Cut and dice the shallots and place in a small bowl.

Using another a chopping knife, chop the pecans to a coarse consistency. Set aside in a small bowl.

Heat a large and deep sauté pan or pot under medium heat. Add the cooking oils to ensure it coats the whole pan.

Once the pan is evenly heated, start placing the Brussel sprouts cut side down so that it is the cooking evenly on the pan, try not to crowd the pan too much. The sprouts will fry on the pan for about 4-5 minutes without turning. Check to see if the sprouts are forming a caramel color, once it has started to brown at the edges, turn each of the sprout over. Salt and pepper the caramelized area.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil if needed. Once the other side cooked through, stir the sprouts to ensure that they are all evenly cooked. Leave for a minute or so before stirring again. Taste one of the sprouts and flavor accordingly.

Once the sprouts are cooked through, add the caramelized pecans and stir until evenly distributed. The side veggie dish is ready to serve, enjoy!

Leave a Reply