Mention Brussel Sprouts in a crowd and you get almost the same response as you would if you had said duck. “I love them,” “I hate them”, or “My best friend’s mother/father/uncle makes the best ever.” We’ll tackle duck in another post, but this is all about the funky lil’ green cabbage. After you try my sprout recipe and make them once, you’ll be the go to person for Brussel Sprouts. Now of course I cheated when I developed this recipe because I used my homemade pancetta, bacon’s Italian cousin. I love pancetta because it is usually sliced very thin, is not smoked and therefore is not as overpowering as American bacon. I roasted these on the stalk just because they look cool when you serve them; they taste better sliced in half and roasted because they absorb more pancetta/garlic happiness. Here’s the recipe;
1 stalk brussel sprouts (cut in half if necessary)
1-1/2 tbls olive oil
1/2 tbls garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 lb thinly sliced pancetta (check your supermarket deli or a good italian market/deli)
2 tbls freshly grated parmesan cheese
In a small bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk together vigorously for 10 seconds or so. You can leave the sprouts on the stalk or remove them and slice them in half. Place the sprouts in a roasting pan and coat with the oil and seasoning mixture. Lay the pancetta over the top of the sprouts trying to cover as many as possible. Cover and roast for an hour in a preheated 350 degree oven (oven time may vary according to the size of the sprouts). Remove from the oven and take out the pancetta to a frying pan to crisp (optional). Chop the crispy pancetta and sprinkle over the top with the parmesan cheese.
