Recipe: Brussels Sprouts With Bacon & Parmesan Cheese

I have never been a fly by the seat of my pants cook.  I can improvise to a degree but I am still fairly structured in my approach to cooking.  I tend to vary one or two ingredients in a recipe to morph it into something new.  However, I have a family member April who is a whiz in the kitchen and plays fast and loose when it comes to her culinary approach.

A little of this…..a pinch of that…..and alot of bacon tend to be her guiding principles and so far they have yet to fail her.  April was kind enough to forward  me her take on brussels sprouts.  Personally, I have never met a brussels sprout that I didn’t like; shaved in a salad with a citrus vinaigrette , oven roasted and paired with chicken or in this case, pan seared and then braised with garlic, chicken stock and bacon.

April used one of  Giada De Laurentiis’s recipes as her inspiration and then ran with it from there.  Pair this recipe with couscous and you move it from side dish to main dish for a quick and easy dinner…….

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Parmesan 

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, trimmed and cut in half
4-5 slices of thick cut bacon or 4 ounces of pancetta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions
1) Partially cook the brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.

2) Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon/pancetta and sauté until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes.

3) Add the garlic and sauté until pale golden, about 2 minutes.

4) Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and sauté until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5) Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve.

Thank you April for sharing!!  This may end up on my Christmas dinner menu!  So do you have a favorite dish that you make every year for the holidays?  I am off to wrap presents and do some last-minute shopping!  Have a GREAT weekend.

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