Another delicious recipe for you to enjoy. It is a simple summer recipe that is guaranteed to please. As with my previous recipe, chatter to follow so you don’t have to scroll for the good stuff (the actual recipe)

This recipe makes enough for 4 people as a side, or 2 people as a main.

INGREDIENTS

• 30 small – medium brussels sprouts
• 2 golden or red beets
• 1 pepper (any colour)
• 1-2 shallots (depending on size)
• 5 cloves of garlic (or as many as you prefer for garlicky taste)
• Asiago or parmesan (fresh grated – not powdered)
• Seasoning (Your choice. Italian herb, lemon pepper, Montreal steak, cajun have all gone well)
• Olive oil
• Balsamic reduction (optional)
• Bacon or Prosciutto (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1 – Slice your veggies

Take the ends of your brussels sprouts and slice in half. If you end up with really large brussels sprouts, cut into quarters.

Thinly slice the pepper into long, skinny strips (julienne).

Skin your beets and slice into long, skinny strips (julienne).

Slice your shallot into rings

Slice your garlic into chunks

Preheat your oven to 450*C

STEP 2 – Fry the bacon or prosciutto

If you are not adding this item, jump to step 3.

Cut the bacon or prosciutto into smaller chunks for frying. This will create bacon or prosciutto bits, similar to what you would put on Caesar salad.

Fry the bacon or prosciutto until it is just about ready. Do not fully crisp it as it will have a bit more time to cook.

Drain off any grease and pat with a paper towel.

Set aside.

STEP 3 – MIXING

Mix all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add a healthy amount of olive oil to coat the vegetables.

Add whatever seasoning you would like to add. My favourite is cajun. Season to your taste.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and evenly spread the veggie mixture on the sheet.

STEP 4 – Cooking

Place the veggies on the middle rack in the oven. Let cook for 15 minutes or until the edges of the brussels sprouts look like they are getting slightly burned/crisped.

Take the tray out of the oven and add the bacon/prosciutto and sprinkle the entire pan with Asiago or Parmesan cheese.

Return to oven for 5 minutes.

Step 5 – Enjoying

Once removed from the oven, dish up the amount you want (main or side dish). You can eat it just like this if you like, and it will have lots of flavour. Or, add a drizzle of balsamic reduction for an extra pop of flavour.

Other sauces that go well are a chipotle mayo, sriracha, or a lime cilantro aioli.

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CHATTER PART

Not too much chatter other than to say that I love these. I didn’t used to like brussels sprouts, but a few years ago I gave them another go and was pleasantly surprised to find them so enjoyable that I craved them. Same with the beets. Not a fan for so long, and now I love them. Age does a unique thing to our palette.

In our neck of the woods, so to speak, brussels sprouts are a HUGE thing in restaurants. Everyone has their take and this recipe was me making my own take so that I don’t have to spend so much at restaurants. I blended a few of my favourite brussels sprouts dishes and voila.

I highly encourage you to experiment with this dish. Add other veggies, or remove some of the ones you don’t like. Go straight brussels and ignore the others veggies, your call. This is just a jumping-off platform to create your own delicious dish.

I am constantly playing with this. One of my next experiments is to not cook the shallots with the rest of the veggies, but instead to a quick pickle on them and then add them on just before eating. See if that kick of vinegar and spices changes the dish in a good way.

All I know is that I crave this dish. At least once a week we have this as either a side or as a main. I hope you enjoy it too!