Side dish time! Pan sauteed brussel sprouts with walnuts
Like many children, I hated brussel sprouts when I was growing up. Plot twist! My mom hated them, too, so we almost never had them. I feel like most people who hate brussel sprouts have only eaten them overcooked, boiled, or both. That kind of cooking brings out the bitterness in them, and also ruins the nice crunchy texture of them! I think hubby was the first person who put a plate of brussel sprouts in front of me that I really enjoyed.
Now, in this recipe he chiffonades the brussel sprouts, which does wonders for the texture. If that's too much work (and it -is- time consuming), you can just halve or quarter them along the stem, and give them a nice sear in the pan, and the flavour and texture will be maintained. They honestly don't need very long in the pan, and the little dash of something acidic at the end (we used vermouth, but you can use lemon juice, white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or even some Tobasco sauce!) gives them a final little blast of steam after giving them a little bit of nice colour in the pan.
Of course, the walnuts are optional (especially if you're allergic to nuts!) but they do add a really excellent flavour and texture. It's one of those non-intuitive food pairings that surprises you a little when you find it. And you can keep the whole recipe vegan by using olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter!
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