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Brussels Sprout Petals with Bacon & Onion

A lot of people don't bother with brussels sprouts because they remember having had bitter sprouts. Here's why: Mothers from eras past who overcooked the little green globes, thinking that would make them milder and more palatable to kids, actually ruined them. Overcooking brussels sprouts leaches out their sulfurous-smelling, cancer-preventative compounds, making the soggy rsult less nutritious and the kitchen bad smelling. So, it's better to stick with quick preparations like this one, a quick saute of cleaned brussels sprouts petals with bacon and onion.

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Makes 4 to 6 servings
For sprouts:
  • 3 cups small, fresh brussels sprouts
  • 5 slices uncured bacon
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small red onion
  • 2 Tbsp water
Instructions
  1. Trim and discard sprout bottoms and tough, outermost leaves. Just as you would core a halved cabbage, halve brussels sprouts and cut the tiny core out. Separate as many green petals as you can from each cleaned sprout. Soak petals briefly (10 minutes) in lightly salted water to remove any insects or debris. Set a rack on a cookie sheet and oven-fry several slices of bacon. While those cook, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan. Saute red onion (chopped) in the oil. Turn heat to high. Add 2 Tbsp of water and the Brussels sprouts petals to the pan. Toss and shake the pan until petals are bright green and tender and onions are caramelized. Set aside. Remove bacon from rack and blot with paper towels. Crumble bacon over cooked sprouts. Serve.

In France, Brussels sprouts are called "petit choux" or, "little cabbage." If you think about it, Brussels sprouts are among the cutest, good-for-you veggies you can find. Use that to your advantage with your kids! Separating the leaves or "petals" from the sprouts and quickly stirfrying them with olive oil, onion and oven-toasted bacon, yields a not-a-hint-of bitterness side dish
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