#38: Brussels, Bacon, and Blue
A family favorite
I didn’t use to like them at all…Brussels Sprouts that is. Ewwww you say…I hate them, too. But, I love them now. What?? Well, give me a chance here because the recipe I am going to share with you is so good that I could eat these little babies directly out of the pan…all of them and I’m not kidding!
Mon petit chou, translates to my little cabbage…
Oh, mon petit chou, you fell down? Get up quick before it hurts!
This is something I said to my son when he was little. I don’t say it now as he is a grown man (well, maybe privately I do) and towers nearly a foot over my almost 5’5” which used to be 5’6” but I seem to have lost an inch or so and I have no idea where I placed it. Do you?
As I plant each seed in the spring, I do say a few words of endearment—Grow and nourish, mon petit chou.
I grow them with the goal of making Brussels, Bacon, and Blue, a recipe I wrote for Home Cooking, the book where I share personal stories and recipes I made for my family and also ones I remember loving so much when I was growing up. (No, I did not include the over-cooked broccoli that my mom made and covered all over with Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, and today I just about gagged when I saw that recipe drop into my inbox. I didn’t like it back then and I can’t imagine liking it now either.)
But, let’s get back to those magic words because apparently they worked since this year I have grown The. Best. Crop. I have ever had. If you are into varietals, I planted Hestia, she is the goddess of the hearth and one of the important women I acknowledge in Home Cooking along with my mom, grandmom, and daughter. Of course, there are important men in my life too…my son being numero uno. I recall when I was introduced to the parents of one of his former girlfriends that the first words they said to me were, Oh, we love when Duncan is here because he goes right into the kitchen and starts cooking! No surprise here as cooking and baking was modeled for him from day one. As soon as he could get up on to the baking counter, there my little one was, rolling out pieces of dough, dipping them into butter and cinnamon, to make what we called bread cookies. Picking out gifts for him is pretty easy, too. Something for his kitchen is sure to please whether that be an ounce of a new spice mix, a new cast iron skillet to add to his collection, or an entire case of Mama Lil’s Peppers.
When I walk into his harvest time kitchen to find mon petit chou pulling out a few trays of these delicious little sprouts from his oven, a little taste testing is definitely in order and as TDAY is nigh upon us, you may want to give this little recipe a place on your menu, too. I hope you like them as much as we all do.
RECIPE: BRUSSELS, BACON, AND BLUE
The three B’s in music are Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. On my Thanksgiving table, they are Brussels sprouts, bacon, and blue cheese. I could eat this entire recipe by myself without feeling the tiniest pang of guilt. You may have to nudge your way in to get them before I eat them all up so I suggest doubling.