Friday, November 13, 2009

Bringing Back the Brussels

Thought it was time that Brussel sprouts made an appearance on the table but I know that many don't really fond memories of them. What to do? Well I figured why not cover them in nature's elixir? BACON! You know when I think about it, there's nothing I wouldn't eat if it were coated in bacon grease and cooked again.

I also needed something to pair with these morsels of goodness but didn't want to take away from the this star side so I balanced it out with shrimp in a butter tarragon sauce over couscous.

It's a great meal and isn't too heavy.

Whatcha Need

10-12 medium shrimp (de-veined and shelled)
4 cups whole Brussels sprouts
1/2 package of bacon (Center Cut is really the way to go)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 package couscous
4 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp tarragon
Salt and Pepper

Whatcha Do With It

Clean and shell the shrimp. If you can find fresh shrimp in your area, all the power to you but if not, you know that frozen is just as good. Actually it's better as most fisheries freeze them right off of the boat and seal in the freshness and you can use the amount at your leisure, but I digress. Once cleaned, place in a bowl, cover and place in fridge.

Fill a large saucepan with 2 cups of water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook them for about 8 minutes. Remove the sprouts from the heat, drain, and then chill them in the refrigerator. Slice the sprouts in half when they have cooled.

While this is going on, boil 2 cups of water. Once it begins to boil, stir in your couscous, cover the pan and remove from heat.

Rough chop the bacon and render over medium heat until it is done. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat and grease from the pan, leaving the 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a skillet or wok and then melt 2 tbsp of unsalted butter with tarragon and toss in shrimp until done. This should take roughly 7 minutes. Fluff couscous and place shrimp atop with Brussel sprouts on the side.


No comments:

Post a Comment