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Brussels Sprouts Gratin
Background info: Originally cultivated in northern Europe around 2,500 years ago, this member of the Brassica (Latin, meaning ‘cabbage’) family owes its rise in popularity to chefs who have made it their goal to bring sustainable eating to the table, such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, whom we featured in our winter ‘22-23 Journal of Health and Healing.
Thriving best when grown in coastal regions, particularly in California, this hardy, cruciferous vegetable provides a good source of vitamin C during the winter. Although a bitter addition to the diet for many individuals (owing to a high level of ‘glucosinolates,’ an organic compound containing sulfur and nitrogen), their flavor can be improved if the sprouts are halved prior to boiling, to leach out some of the glucosinolate that is more heavily concentrated in the center of each sprout.
—Price-Pottenger
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Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 2 slices bacon or 3 slices pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup half-and-half, or a mixture of half-and-half and heavy cream
- ⅓ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- Thin shavings of butter
Instructions
Trim the outer leaves and stems from the Brussels sprouts. Cook until tender in abundant salted boiling water, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the sprouts well and chop coarsely.
Put the bacon or pancetta into a heavy pan over medium heat and cook until just rendered and limp. Add the chopped sprouts. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
Butter a gratin or baking dish. Add the sprouts and bacon and spread evenly. Pour the half-and-half or cream mixture over it. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the sprouts. Top with the butter shavings. Bake in a 400° F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crumbs are golden and the liquid is bubbling.
Variation: Add chopped thyme and garlic to the sprouts with the bacon.
Reprinted by permission of Alice Waters from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution.
Alice Waters is a chef, author, and food activist, and founder of the renowned Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA. She is the author of numerous books, including We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto (2021). Learn more about her work and the Edible Schoolyard Project at edibleschoolyard.org.
Published in the Journal of Health and Healing™
Winter 2022 – 23 | Volume 46, Number 4
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