braised brussel sprouts

[Kim WB]

I had a simple braised brussel sprout/shallots side dish recently. There was certainly vinegar ( wh wine?) in it...and bacon. I've tried to replicate it, but need some help.

Assuming you sautee the bacon and shallots first, then add the halved sprouts, how much ww vinegar or other cooking liquid should you add? And for how long, about? My sprouts are still quite raw after 20 minutes...and I must not have added enough vinegar, ( I was afraid to sour it too much) because I had some sprouts sticking to the bottom, I had it on med low heat..should I have brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat? Any help appreciated, thanks!

[maggiethecat]

Kim: We do a very close approximation of this without the braising.

Cook the halved sprouts until done the way you like them. Saute your bacon and shallots, crumble bacon and drain all but a couple of tablespoons from the (largish) sautee pan.

Add sprouts, a pinch of sugar and a splash(sorry I'm not specific about the quantities..it's really up to you) of vinegar. We like sherry vinegar.

Add the bacon and serve it forth.

As a matter of fact, my mother made this Christmas day. The braise sounds intiguing, but like you, I think the timing on the sprouts would be iffy.

[wingding]

I like to start sprouts on top of the stove in a heavy saute pan with some olive oil and maybe some garlic,onions.,to brown a little.Then I finish them off in the oven until cooked-maybe another 15-20 minutes at 350ish.Use some vinegar or wine to deglaze the pan when taking it out of the oven..work in the bacon and shallots at the start,or finish..

[rxrfrx]

try the microwave. it's by far the the best method i've tried for cooking brussels sprouts. i cook the trimmed and washed sprouts for a little under a minute per sprout on high and then immediately add seasoning or sauce. it works great because in addition to cooking them through without turning the outer parts bitter, the internal steaming action of the microwave fluffs up the sprouts' layers. this means that when you add your vinegar, it will get soaked up into the sprouts, seasoning them all the way through.

[Suvir Saran]

I picked up my favorite Brussel Sprout recipe (after the one I ate at Lupa) from a friend that lives in Philadelphia. We were on Shelter Island and he prepared these from a recipe he had from Martha Stewart.

It is easy and delicious and all made in one dish in the oven.

Clean and prepare brussel sprouts to be cooked whole. I take off the top leaves and make an x on the stem side.

Glaze a oven proof casserole with little olive oil. To this add the brussel sprouts, sliced red onions (I added red cippolinis from the farmers market last time), and finely sliced granny smith apples. Toss them with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Throw in coarsely chopped pistachios and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes at 350?F.

Toss a couple of times to ensure even browning. Salt the brussel sprouts at the same time as you add the oil and vinegar. I also add a little cayenne and sometimes black currants as well.

[Kim WB]

Thanks, all for your suggestions. Suvir, that looks especially interesting, I love root vegetables/nut combination, very satisfying to me. I was alos led, by Helena, to a Lidia Bastainich (sp?) recipe that seems like it was the specific one I was attempting to replicate..but these suggestions sound great, too.