Lemon Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Bacon Makes it Better

Recipe adapted from Jamie Deen

This month I’ve been on a Brussels sprouts kick. The autumn crop is still fresh, and they’re still available on the stalk—at Trader Joe’s as well as the farmers’ market. Whether purchased on or off the stalk, smaller sprouts are tender and can be served whole or halved, with mustard-, maple-, or balsamic-based sauces. The real challenge is how to make large, tough sprouts from the top of the stalk into something tender and delicious. Halving and thinly slicing these large toughies makes them amenable to any sort of cooking treatment you’d use for cabbage, including this lemony sauté seasoned with brown sugar and bacon.

Maple Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Spicy, Sweet, and Healthy

Recipe Adapted from Vegetable Recipes I Can’t Live Without

Consider the humble yet bizarre Brussels sprout. The first time my friend claimed that a large field of turgid, leafy 4-foot stalks overlooking the Pacific Ocean was Brussels sprouts, I thought he was kidding. Like when he said that the Zinfandel that I’d bought for my parents was aged in chicken manure. But surprising ly, many Brussels sprouts were indeed clinging to the stalks. Although most sprouts are harvested by machines, those of us close to the central coast can pick up freshly harvested sprouts on the stalk this month at the Farmers’ Market. My gems are organic  sprouts from Rodoni Farms, lightly browned and steamed, then dressed with an easy 3-ingredient sauce that’s strong enough to stand up to Brussels sprouts yet not overpower them.