Wee Cabbages of Love

In a wholly unscientific, casually random survey, Brussels Sprouts fared rather poorly when coworkers and customers were asked to choose their favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Garnering only 1.5 votes: Along with myself, my esteemed colleague split her vote between stuffing and Belgium’s eponymous veg. Even if they don't provoke nostalgia or hunger in most people, it just doesn't seem like Thanksgiving without Saucyland's recipe for Bacon Sprouts.

Bitter, Like My Soul

Culturally, we gravitate foods that are salty or sweet. But Brussels Sprouts, beyond being neither, are further handicapped with an extremely bitter taste. They contain high levels of glucosinolates, the sulfuric-rich family of compounds that round out the flavor of the sprout’s cousin, mustard. Glucosinolates aren't always bitter but as far as their presence in the sprouts of Brussels goes, they pretty much are. Some of the bitterness can be subdued by cooking in boiling water - as opposed to steaming, braising or roasting.

Considering all the rich, butter laden foods on the Thanksgiving table, a little bitter is a great contrast. Similar to what cranberry sauce is theoretically doing with its bitter/sweet flavors - rounding out the flavor palate, sprouts should make everything else on the plate taste a little more alive. Well, that and the presence of some dietary fiber amidst the cream, butter, pie crust and dinner rolls makes Brussels Sprouts a good choice for the holiday table.

Sprouts tend to overwhelm subtler flavors, like herbs. They need big, bold flavors that can hold up to the strong, distinct cabbage taste. I like the bacon for the job. My aforementioned colleague preferred butter and salt on sprouts, commenting they don’t need bacon. I concurred, they don’t need it, they are just better for it. I have had delicious sprouts with lemon zest and olive oil; toasted walnuts; roasted chestnuts and wild rice; but the bacon compliments the sprouts. Besides, cabbage and bacon are natural matches, they go together like NASCAR and left; like SIGG bottles and the urban under-hydrated and other various examples of two seemingly disparate items.

The recipe is for 8 small side portions.

2 pounds Brussels Sprouts
1 pound Bacon*
Optional – 1/2 cup hard cider or 1/2 cup apple cider + Tablespoon of cider vinegar

Notes- The sprouts can be blanched = partially cooked, 3 to 5 days in advance. Make sure they are cooled to room temp before storing them in a Ziploc type of bag, so they don't get steamy/smushy.

Bring 3 Qts of salted water to a boil. While the unwatched pot is coming to a boil – trim stem ends off the sprout and remove discolored or woody leaves. (1) The sprouts can be cooked whole but halfsies are easier to cook and are more forkable at the table. When the water is boiling, add sprouts and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the tip of a paring knife goes in but has a little trouble coming out. Drain and set aside.

Cut bacon into small pieces, at least 20 pieces per strip of bacon. Add to a heavy (cast iron) pan, cook over low heat for 20 minutes. You’d think higher heat would be quicker but you’d be wrong. Some things just take time. Slow and steady may not win the day but it does make for crisp bacon.

When the bacon is brown with only a little opaque/translucence left in the fat, turn heat up to medium and add sprouts. Continually stir for five minutes, add cider if you are going that way – continue stirring until all the liquids have been absorbed, adjust seasonings and serve.

* For vegetarians, substitute 1/2 pound walnuts, shelled, toasted in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Warm precooked spouts in 1/3 cup of walnut oil, add toasted nuts and serve.

(1) America’s Test Kitchen reports that scoring an x on the bottom of the sprout does not aid the cooking process – on this type of thing Chris Kimball and company are at their unparalleled best. (Actually, the only time they really need to be ignored is when they try to explain how to make authentic Pad Thai in 15 minutes from ingredients purchased solely from a 7/11.)