Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios

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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios

1 December 2009 2 Comments

For Thanksgiving this year, I was in charge of bringing the customary Brussels sprouts. Wow, there are lots of great recipes for ways to cook these delicious mini cabbages. I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but still bounced around through the cookbooks and online recipes until I found this recipe. This one made me change my mind, and I never looked back. I would say this is one of the best ways I have ever eaten Brussels sprouts. The combination of flavors was really incredible.

I usually use frozen Brussels sprouts, but for the special dinner, I picked up a couple pounds of fresh ones. Honestly, I wasn’t able to tell all that much of a difference. I don’t know if it is because of all the other flavors that I added to the dish, but I’m thinking these are definitely one place where it is not worth it to pay 2-3 times the price for fresh veggies.

Question of the day: What vegetables do you think are not worth paying the difference in price for fresh versus frozen?

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
with Pistachios

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INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 small red onions, cut into strips
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. white sugar
4-5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

METHOD

1. Cut the stems from the Brussels sprouts, and either quarter or half the pieces. Combine with olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Roast in the oven at 425° for about 20-25 min. This would also be a good time to toast the chopped pistachios. Be careful, they will overcook very easily, so they really only need about 3 minutes at that temperature.

2. Cook the bacon until crispy, set aside on paper towels to dry. Once dry, crumble it in the paper towels. Using the paper towels will allow more of the grease to be absorbed, and keep it out of the dish.

3. After cutting the red onions, sauté them in the butter until they are soft. Add the Brussels sprouts and bacon, and continue to cook, allowing the onions to caramelize. Once the Brussels sprouts are beginning to brown on the edges, add the red wine vinegar and sugar, mixing well, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Plate the mixture, and garnish with the toasted pistachios.

Recipe adapted from this post at allrecipes.com