Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and I want to get ahead of everyone to plead a case for the much-maligned brussels sprout. This vegetable and the lima bean are the two I feel to be the most hated vegetables in America. But, back to what my family called little cabbages: the brussels sprout.

As I was growing up brussels sprouts were a yearly adventure. How could this green vegetable be an adventure?  Well I will tell you. My Dad would always grow brussels sprouts but he would not harvest them until the first frost. He said they needed that frost to make them sweet. Even if there was a frost earlier in November we left them in the garden waiting for the Thanksgiving harvest. The long leaves protected the sprouts and if it snowed they looked like frosted Christmas trees. The tree theme went further because we had to chop them down to harvest. My Dad would take his hatchet and cut close to the ground. Then we would take the leaves off and of course put them in the compost pile. After we got them in the house the fun would really start. You could cut the sprouts off the stalk, but it was much more fun to pop them off. They make this snapping sound very much like popping large bubble wrap. This sometimes met with sprouts flying around the kitchen. After that was getting them ready to steam. Peel the rough leaves off and into the steaming basket to cook. This is where I think brussels sprouts got their bad rap. They seem to have universally been cooked to long and become mush. If they were already bitter and then mushy I wouldn’t like them either, and I love them.

I have noticed that a lot of cooking programs for the Holiday Season are trying to enlighten the world about brussels sprouts and how good they can be. Whether you watch Ina Garten roast them (which she states is the only way she likes them) or chef Brad Farmerie on Martha Stewart this morning making them with an Asian flavor, they show brussels sprouts don’t have to be a mushy mess.

Since I no longer have access to a garden I went this last weekend to the farmer’s market. It’s almost done for the year. I found these small stalks of sprouts which pleased me since those have the tinier and what I feel are the best tasting sprouts. This year I am going to try something I have thought up.

Note: The proportions for the Pancetta/Bacon and Vinegars are to taste.

1. Cut Pancetta or Bacon into crosswise strips.
2. Sauté until brown but not crisp. 
3. Now for the Brussels Sprouts.  If the sprouts are really small, just halve them.  But if they are large, blanch and shock them in an ice bath before cutting in half.
4. Toss the cut sprouts in with the Pancetta/Bacon.  Sauté until the sprouts are heated through.
5. Deglaze the pan with Balsamic Vinegar. Here you can be very creative using flavors such as Pomegranate or Fig.  If you do not want the dish to have a brown coloring, use a White Balsamic.
6. Serve.

Now for a movie to watch on Thanksgiving Day: What’s Cooking? – It is a cross-cultural look at how four families celebrate Thanksgiving. I watch it every year.

Happy Thanksgiving