Brussel sprouts

A wonderful vegetable anytime of the year. Brussel sprouts are just so tasty and healthy.  These mini cabbages can sometimes be bitter, but picked at just the right time from your garden, rinsed and steamed in lemon juice just before pan frying them, they are just irresistable. The addition of shallots, shaved garden carrots, garlic and a drizzle of white balsamic are just what this dish needs to complete any meal.  The last of my brussel sprouts were harvested just this week here.  From four plants my yields were just awesome.  So we'll be eating many of these over the winter months here. Once blanched, they freeze up beautifully.





Brussel Sprouts

1 dozen brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed
juice of 1 lemon
2 TBLS olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, shaved
1 small Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2 " pieces *opt
1/4 cup vegetable broth
pinch of sugar
2 tsps white balsamic vinegar
sea salt & ground pepper

Peel the sprouts outer leaves off and trim a bit of the ends. If the sprouts are large, halve or quarter them.  Steam the sprouts in lemon juice for about 4 minutes in a covered pan. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and add garlic, shallots, brussel sprouts, vegetable broth, seasoning and sugar.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then add the balsamic--stir, uncover and cook 3 minutes more to combine all the flavors and serve.