Brussels sprouts, bacon, and mushrooms

[Cooking Goddess]

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half (or quarters, if very large - I think that smaller is better when it comes to them, though)

1/4 to 1/2 bacon, depending on how lean it is (you need the drippings) and how bacon-y you like your foods

1/2 or more cleaned and sliced mushrooms (I've always used white button type, but you can use baby bellas)

Garlic powder and dried tarragon*

************************************

Bring the pot of trimmed Brussels sprouts to a boil; continue to cook until barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry out until the meat gets a bit crispy; remove from pan and set aside.

Saute mushrooms in bacon drippings. When done, remove from pan and set aside. Saute Brussels sprouts cut-side-down and sear until they start to caramelize a bit.

Add back the mushrooms and bacon, and season to taste with the garlic powder. If you're using tarragon, pour it into the palm of one hand and crush until it's very fine dust. Add enough tarragon to give it the strength of flavor you like. ~ *IF you do not like tarragon, you can use any other herb of your liking. (I once used rosemary by mistake; it was still good, but not the flavor I was expecting. )

Continue heating until it's hot enough to serve. If you are making this in advance of a meal (and this dish is VERY good when made the day before you serve it), once you combine all the ingredients, remove from heat and put into a casserole dish, cool, then cover and chill until you need to reheat for the meal.

Enjoy.

 

[dragnlaw]

Yum yum CG, there is not an ingredient in there I don't like!

 

[buckytom]

Mmmmm, that sounds good. I just saw beussel sprouts on sale the other day, and was thinking of a way to get the family to eat them.

We love all kinds of 'shrooms, and bacon is a gift from heaven, so...

I'mma gonna think about what other mushroom might compliment this.

Gracias, oh Godess of the Funghi(s).

 

[GotGarlic]

Bucky, I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on roasted sprouts. I think the acidity brightens a dish like this.

 

[msmofet]

Thank you CG. Sounds wonderful.

 

[CraigC]

Bucky, I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on roasted sprouts. I think the acidity brightens a dish like this.

+1 on the balsamic. But I love sprouts just about any way.

 

[Cheryl J]

Sounds good to me, CG....thanks for sharing!

I'd have to split the recipe with my local daughter - she's the only other family member I can think of that would even consider Brussels sprouts crossing their lips.

Hmmm....I bet craisins would be good in there, too....

 

[LizStreithorst]

That sounds fabulous. Add potatoes of some type on the side and it would make a meal.

 

[CWS4322]

BT, I "peel" the leaves (like a cabbage) and saute those in the bacon fat (or some of it, depending on how much you have). I add the mushrooms and a bit of lemon zest (fresh), add the bacon lardons back in and drizzle with maple syrup and add some more lemon zest and lemon juice (fresh). Similar idea. I like to use Chef's Choice (mixed wild and cultivated) mushrooms.Lovely side to almost everything that I can think of...

 

[buckytom]

Bucky, I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on roasted sprouts. I think the acidity brightens a dish like this.

+1 on the balsamic. But I love sprouts just about any way.

The balsamic sounds good.

I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar intending to boil it down to make it thicker and more intense. I've heard it's best done outdoors from the acrid smell.

Have you guys ever tried this?

 

[dragnlaw]

and drizzle with maple syrup ...

I love maple syrup - I AM Canadian after all! But I sort of find it offensive when it is drizzled all over various recipes. I often just flip on past those recipes as soon as I see that; don't even investigate further. Sugar/sweets, to me, is a dessert, not meant for the main.
Pancakes, waffles, sausages... good to go too!

I even have a hard time with brown sugar on various ... like sweet potatoes and squash... now BUTTER on the other hand...

doesn't mean I won't use it... just certainly not on my priority list.

My tastes have certainly changed over the years. I'm even finding tagines with apricots, dates and such too sweet for me as well. Mangoes seem to be in the middle, not sure yet. Out of hand I eat dried apricots, dates, raisins, fresh mango.. I love them! Only not so much in a 'savoury' dish.

 

[CWS4322]

I love maple syrup - I AM Canadian after all! But I sort of find it offensive when it is drizzled all over various recipes. I often just flip on past those recipes as soon as I see that; don't even investigate further. Sugar/sweets, to me, is a dessert, not meant for the main.
Pancakes, waffles, sausages... good to go too!

I even have a hard time with brown sugar on various ... like sweet potatoes and squash... now BUTTER on the other hand...

doesn't mean I won't use it... just certainly not on my priority list.

My tastes have certainly changed over the years. I'm even finding tagines with apricots, dates and such too sweet for me as well. Mangoes seem to be in the middle, not sure yet. Out of hand I eat dried apricots, dates, raisins, fresh mango.. I love them! Only not so much in a 'savoury' dish.

I tend not to be fond of sweet, but the saltiness of the bacon lardons and the bacon fat balances the drizzle of maple syrup. I have used maple vinegar instead of the lemon and lemon zest, but most people don't have that on hand. I have used birch syrup instead of maple as well since I have jars of both since we tap both types of trees. My silver maple syrup isn't as sweet as sugar maple.

 

[buckytom]

BT, I "peel" the leaves (like a cabbage) and saute those in the bacon fat (or some of it, depending on how much you have). I add the mushrooms and a bit of lemon zest (fresh), add the bacon lardons back in and drizzle with maple syrup and add some more lemon zest and lemon juice (fresh). Similar idea. I like to use Chef's Choice (mixed wild and cultivated) mushrooms.Lovely side to almost everything that I can think of...

Thanks, sounds good CWS. I love maple syrup, but agree it can be over used. Looks good here, though. Just in the background.

And I have yet to meet a mushroom that I dislike.

 

[dragnlaw]

My silver maple syrup isn't as sweet as sugar maple.

hmmm, can't say I've ever had silver maple syrup. Interesting.

Truth to tell, perhaps it is because I have developed a sensitivity to sugars, gives me a belly ache... maybe that is why I don't care for it any more. I take it in extremely small quantities. As in perhaps not even a half teaspoon of jam on toast type of thing, just enough for a taste.

 

[CWS4322]

I find balsamic sweet. I have been meaning to try the BSprouts with dark chocolate balsamic...just haven't gotten around to that, yet. When I say drizzle, I am saying less than 2 tsp for the entire dish.

 

[CWS4322]

hmmm, can't say I've ever had silver maple syrup. Interesting.

Truth to tell, perhaps it is because I have developed a sensitivity to sugars, gives me a belly ache... maybe that is why I don't care for it any more. I take it in extremely small quantities. As in perhaps not even a half teaspoon of jam on toast type of thing, just enough for a taste.

I don't know if you'll find it--we have silver maples so tap those while we are at it. To get to the appropriate sugar level, it takes 60-80 l of silver maple syrup to make a gallon. It takes 100 l to make 1 gallon of birch syrup. Sugar maple is 40:1 (although that is not written in stone--it can be more, 50-60). But, you don't have to make a gallon to have a successful sugaring experience.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

GG, I've never thought of balsamic vinegar! I think I'll start slowly with the white one.

Cheryl, you would be surprised who would like this dish. I've converted a couple of B-sprout haters, most notably our daughter. It's gotta be the bacon.
If you do make it with craisins, do share the results with us, please.

CWS, your sprouts dish sounds good, too. I always have the ingredients on hand, save for the B-sprouts. Think I'll try it sometime after we get back from OH.

 

[medtran49]

The balsamic sounds good.

I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar intending to boil it down to make it thicker and more intense. I've heard it's best done outdoors from the acrid smell.

Have you guys ever tried this?

Yes. We usually add a little sugar too. It does smell but not so bad that you can't do it in the house (unless maybe you are doing a whole bottle, only ever done small quantities), just don't stick your face right over the pot.

We use it a drizzle on stuffed portabello burgers, sometimes on a Caprese salad made with either roasted red bells or tomatoes, or just mixed roasted peppers. Supposedly good over strawberries, along with a drizzle of melted chocolate, but we've never tried that.

Be very careful with it though. Once it gets to a certain point in the boil down, it goes from good to burnt in a heartbeat!

We tried brussel spout "chips" for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The larger outer leaves were peeled off, olive oil drizzle, S and P, and into the oven at 350 in a single layer on parchment paper lined baking sheet, bake for about 8-10 minutes, rearranging once, until edges begin to brown and they are crispy. They were part of a dish but I could have sat there and ate them all by themselves, it was a good thing I made more than we needed for the dish. We then used the "hearts" of the sprouts for a dish similar to the OP, except no mushrooms, and with onions and balsamic.

 

[Steve Kroll]

The balsamic sounds good.

I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar intending to boil it down to make it thicker and more intense. I've heard it's best done outdoors from the acrid smell.

Have you guys ever tried this?

I haven't tried it myself, but I have an Italian friend in Las Vegas (where I used to live) who used to be a restaurant owner, and he swears by this. The only caveat is that you don't want to go too high on the heat, because it can give the vinegar a cooked flavor. He said to just simmer it very low until it's reduced by about a third.

Basically all it does is the same thing that nature does when you age Balsamic for many years: it evaporates, leaving behind a more intense and sweet vinegar. Cooking it down just speeds up the process.

The other tip he told me is to drizzle a little of this "Balsamic gold" (his words) on fresh strawberries or ice cream.

 

[CWS4322]

I haven't tried it myself, but I have an Italian friend in Las Vegas (where I used to live) who used to be a restaurant owner, and he swears by this. The only caveat is that you don't want to go too high on the heat, because it can give the vinegar a cooked flavor. He said to just simmer it very low until it's reduced by about a third.

Basically all it does is the same thing that nature does when you age Balsamic for many years: it evaporates, leaving behind a more intense and sweet vinegar. Cooking it down just speeds up the process.

The other tip he told me is to drizzle a little of this "Balsamic gold" (his words) on fresh strawberries or ice cream.

That is how we did it at the restaurant--low and slow.