brussel sprouts in cream for the man who ate minute rice

You know you’ve been married a long time when you pull a bag of brussel sprouts out of the fridge and your husband glances over the top of his morning paper and says, “doing those with cream and pancetta? This from the man who ate minute rice, from the pot he cooked it in, when we first met! I had no intentions of using cream and pancetta but, once he asked, how could I not?

Brussel sprouts were the bain of my kids childhood until I started to serve them sauteed with pancetta or bacon then finished with some heavy cream. Instead of an intensely bitter cabbage flavour, they taste fresh and rich. When I’m really putting on the dogs, I cover the whole dish with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and pop it in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and brown.

Brussel Sprouts with Cream and Pancetta
Serves 4

2 oz pancetta, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lbs Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 cup whipping cream
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

The Steps:

• In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat
• Add pancetta and cook until fat is rendered and it’s lightly golden.
• Add Brussel sprouts and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water to the skillet and bring to a boil
• Cover skillet and boil Brussels until just tender – water should be almost gone.
• Add cream to skillet and reduce to half
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve hot.

THE LOVE: You can turn your Brussel sprouts into an ‘au gratin’ by simply topping your finished dish, while it’s still in the skillet, with bread crumbs and shredded cheese and popping it in the oven until the top is bubbling and golden.

click here for the printable recipe

one year ago: raspberry amaretto sorbet 

two years ago: maple pudding

Thanks for reading.