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See also:
Brussels Sprouts Cooking Tips  ;  Brussels Sprouts Article

SLIVERED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BACON AND APPLE

Cooking with Shelburne Farms
The greatest enemy to the brussels sprout is cooking; the sprouts are usually varied enough in size that some will overcook while others will be undercooked, and both ends of the spectrum have earned the sprout its generally poor reputation. If you do as we do below and slice them thinly, they will all cook in the same amount of time.
Before You Start
If you can, try to buy your sprouts still attached to their stalk.
Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, about 1/4 pound
• 1½ pounds brussels sprouts, stalks trimmed flush, thinly sliced through the root end so that it holds most slices intact
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup chicken stock, preferably low sodium
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 medium firm, tart, red-skinned apple, such as Empire or Rome, unpeeled
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
 

Directions

1. In a large saute pan or skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan and discard.

2. Return the pan with the reserved bacon fat to the stove over medium-high heat. Add the brussels sprouts and salt. Cook for 3—4 minutes, stirring, until the sprouts are wilted. Add the chicken stock, cider vinegar, and thyme to the pan and simmer for 3—4 minutes. Taste a sprout to see if it's tender but not mushy.

3. While the sprouts are cooking, cut the apple into matchsticks. When the sprouts are just about done, toss the apple into the hot pan and leave it on the heat for a minute or so. Put the sprouts in a serving bowl, crumble the reserved bacon over them, and adjust seasoning to taste.

Variation: This also works well with a small one-pound cabbage, cored and thinly sliced. If you want the whole dish a little sweeter, replace the chicken stock with apple cider or natural apple juice.