Fresh Approach Cooking

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My newest favoritest chicky, (who also happens to be the Ombudsman's sister-in-law, which I only mention because it weirds him out that she and I are friendly...heh, heh, heh) emailed me from glorious San Diego to ask for a Thanksgiving side dish suggestion. Whoo-eee. She turned to the right girl. Of course, my immediate reaction is brussels sprouts with pancetta and parmesan. A favorite of mine and my family for sure. (They have all been clamoring for this recipe for years, btw)

The sprouts come out sweet and flavorful, deeply nutty from roasting, salty from the pancetta (which you can totally leave out. I do most of the time. I just replace it with olive oil) and just amazingly scrumptious. You will be converted. Try it, and enjoy. Oh, and for those of you who will be celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving! I'll be back later this week...


1 1/2 pounds brussles sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
2 strips of bacon or slices of pancetta
Parmesan cheese
salt as needed

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Line a baking sheet with foil or a silpat and bake the pancetta for 8 minutes, while the sprouts are boiling.

Boil the sprouts in the chicken stock diluted with 1 cup of water, the sugar and salt until crisp tender, about 8 minutes. (Use plain water if you want.)

Remove the sprouts from the stock with a slotted spoon (you can save it to make cabbage soup later, I suppose.) and let drain in a colander for a few minutes.

Remove the pancetta from the oven. Take it off the foil and set aside. Place the sprouts cut side down onto the (greased) foil. Roast for 10 minutes or until browned.

Toss the diced pancetta with the sprouts. Grate parmesan over and serve immediately.

Makes 1 large serving for me, or 6-8 for your friends and family.

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It's Wednesday again, and if you have been following for the past month, its time for me to check in and see what is up with The Los Angeles Times and their lack of food blogging coverage. Well cats and kittens, I am pleased to report the Times has indeed reported on Food Blogging. Two years ago in fact. (Gulp. Blush.) Sure, they talked mostly about Clotilde (Challenge: I will send, via paypal, $100 to the first reader who links me to a single legitimate press review of her or her site that does not include the words "cute," "adorable," "darling," or "precious." I am serious too. Get lookin'. I mean this in the spirit of fun, since I too think she is darling, but I am also curious of one such review exisits) and Julie/Julia, and not one Los Angeles based blogger was included, but again, I do stand corrected, and wanted to say so. I still hope some day they will cover some of the great local bloggers, since what they covered is already quite dated, but in the mean time, I will let it go.

Thomas Jefferson, introduced Brussels sprouts to North America in 1812. The vegetable may have been given its name from the fact it was sold in Brussels' markets in the 1200's.

Labels: Low-Carb, Pork, Side-Dish