Giving Brussels Sprouts Another Shot

 I always detested the stinky, slimy, green things as a child.  I have nightmares about them coming out of the microwave in the dripping steamy bag.  I was always left at the table all by myself after dinner was long over, plugging my nose and gagging while washing them down with milk.  

A few days ago, one of my friends inspired me to give them another shot.  I was so pleasantly surprised.  I never thought of pan searing Brussels sprouts (nor did I know “Brussels” was supposed to have an “s” on it)! My 6-year-old son even enjoyed them.  I thought I would share the simple recipe with you as they will now be a staple veggie in our house.

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts (I would cook approx 3-4/adult or 2/child depending on how much you like them).

Chicken Base

Chicken Base and Beef Base

2-3 Tbsp chicken broth.  I have not bought a can of chicken broth in years because I always buy chicken base.  It is a paste that you mix with water to make broth.  It lasts forever and I use it (along with beef base) in tons of dishes just to give more depth to the flavor.  It is usually on the top shelf of the grocery store by the broths.  It will seem expensive at first at around $4-5 per jar but 1 tsp makes 1 cup of broth (1 jar makes 5 gallons of broth!) so it will definitely save you money (and pantry space) in the long run.

1 tsp Olive Oil

Garlic salt

Freshly Ground Pepper 

Directions:

Wash sprouts and trim (more like shave) off the very end of the stem. This may result in the outer leaves of the sprout coming off.  This is okay because those leaves tend to not be as tender as the others.

Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise.

Pour only enough chicken broth into skillet to coat the bottom with a very thin layer of the liquid.

 Place sprouts in pan face down over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Do not cover.  Let the broth boil until it evaporates. This will steam the sprouts just enough to make them tender (but not soggy).

After broth has evaporated, drizzle olive oil over the sprouts in the pan.  Pick up your pan and give it a good little shimmy shake to make the sprouts slide back and forth in your pan a few times, coating the bottom of the sprouts in the oil. 

Let the sprouts cook 3-4 minutes until the bottoms have a nice golden brown color, then serve. 

Top with some parmesan or mix in a little cooked bacon during the cooking process if you feel like jazzing it up a bit.  Good luck! Let me know if there are any stories like my own of converted Brussels sprout haters.

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