Saturday, June 5, 2010

Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts from my Bountiful Basket

I'm still waiting for true and consistent summer weather here in O-Town, UT, but one of my favorite things to come of this season so far is my participation in a food co-op. They call it Bountiful Baskets for a reason, and thus far it has totally lived up to its name! I pay $16.50 online at the beginning of the week, show up Saturday morning, load up my laundry basket full of food and run for my car before they can change their minds. Look at all this fresh & fabulous food - seriously a steal of a deal, my friends! I've calculated my savings each time I've done it, and the average is $20 of savings!!! Every week its a surprise as to what will be in my basket, but I've not yet been disappointed. Being surprised is something to look forward to, but even better is the fact that I'm cooking and eating foods I've never even tasted before in my life - brussels sprouts, bok choy - and that is a foodie's dream! Look for one in your area - you'll be glad you did!
I turned to old reliable: www.foodnetwork.com for this mouthwatering recipe. Let's just say it will definitely be made again...its only Dick & me in our house, and every little bit was gone by the end of dinner!
Bacon-Braised Brussels Sprouts
From Tyler Florence of the Food Network


Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, washed & cut in half
4 oz (about 1/2 c.) bacon, cut into small squares
1 clove garlic
4 sprigs thyme, plus 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only, chopped
2 c. low sodium chicken broth
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 c. panko bread crumbs
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, chopped
olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Take a large pan and set over med-high heat. add bacon & cook until fat renders, 2-3 min. add the smashed garlic clove, thyme sprigs & brussels sprouts & cook gently until slightly caramelized. add stock & reduce heat to a simmer. season with salt & a little pepper, cover and simmer for 12-15 min until tender. remove lid & add a splash of vinegar & reduce until syrupy, 2-3 min.
After brussels sprouts are done cooking, put them in oven safe dish. toss bread crumbs w/ rosemary, thyme leaves & chopped garlic. then drizzle w/ a little olive oil, salt & pepper. sprinkle bread crumb mixture & parmigiano over brussels sprouts and bake until golden & crispy.


5 comments:

M. Derek Rigby said...

There weren't any brussel sprouts in our basket this week, but there's enough bok choy for about 3 weeks worth of recipes.

Aynna banahna said...

Love bountiful basket! That recipe looks so yummy, and I never thought I'd say anything like that about brussel sprouts. We'll have to share B.B. recipes so we use all our produce

Gourmified said...

Haahaa! I'm a site leader for BB in my area and I LOVE it! I've been participating for about a year now. I was SOOO excited to get the Brussels sprouts a month ago. I even took extras! Oh yeah! I have a couple of recipes on my blog for these gems, and I may just have to try this one, too. YUM-o! Bok Choy. I've only added them to stir frys and such. A friend Grilled hers up. I'm going to attempt that this week. There's just SOOOO much that I can't live on Stir-fry just to use them up. Aack!

Natster said...

Awesome. Thanks for the fun recipes!
I have heard of this BB for quite some time now. Glad to see that you are LOVING it. I have also heard about Field to Families that is basically the same thing but I guess you pick the produce. One of these days I will be around on a Saturday and will try one of them out! :)

Tia said...

those brussel sprouts actually look good!

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