- May 4, 2024
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As Thanksgiving approaches, many families are planning their menus. And in my family, although the celebration usually includes the men sitting on the couch while the women cook, to avoid a kitchen backup, my mom assigns parts of the meal out.
My grandmother usually makes a dessert and, of course, the turnips and carrots that I shared with you last year. My mother makes the mains: turkey, stuffing, mashed and a vegetable. I have just recently started to be trusted with making a portion of the main meal. Instead of making my usual apple pie or cheese platter, last year, I was assigned my mom’s sweet potato casserole. It was a success, so that's my job again this year.
But don’t tell my family: This Thanksgiving, I might make a few slight recipe changes.
My other assignment is fresh cranberry sauce. Making cranberry sauce from berries is not a hard job; I follow the instructions on the bag, except, I split the water with orange juice for a little something extra. My favorite part of making the cranberry sauce is watching it form; well, actually, it’s watching the cranberries pop — so much fun. I also love using it in leftover recipes, which is something I will talk about next week.
(If you have any Thanksgiving leftover recipes to share, email [email protected])
But for this week, instead of sharing one of my own recipes, I am going to share one that my good friend Sean O’Brien makes for his family.
Smothered with bacon, garlic, balsamic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko, this bacon-braised Brussels sprouts recipe is sure to get any kid to eat his vegetables, even the dreaded Brussels sprout.
Bacon-braised Brussels sprouts
What you need:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, washed and cut in half
4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) bacon, cut into small squares
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed, plus 2 cloves, roughly chopped
4 sprigs thyme, plus 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put a large pan on medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until fat renders, 2-3 minutes. Add the smashed garlic clove, thyme sprigs and Brussels sprouts, and cook gently until slightly caramelized.
Add stock and reduce heat to a simmer.
Season with salt and a little pepper, and then cover and simmer 12-15 minutes until tender. Remove lid, add a splash of vinegar and reduce until syrupy, 2-3 minutes.
After Brussels sprouts are done cooking, put them in an oven-safe dish. In a sheet tray, toss bread crumbs with rosemary, thyme leaves and chopped garlic, then drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture and Parmigiano over Brussels sprouts and bake until golden and crispy.
- Adapted from foodnetwork.com
*Do you have a holiday recipe to share with the community? Send in a recipe for the Holiday special section to [email protected] by Nov. 28.
