Brussels Sprout Yumminess

Believe it or not, when I was growing up, I hated brussels sprouts. They were that horrible green ball of yuckiness that I would force down simply because I couldn't get up from the table unless I did. After I moved out of the house, I banned them from my kitchen. Several years later, as my interest in cooking grew, I found that they were pretty tasty just split open drenched in olive oil and kosher salt and roasted in the oven until crispy. Up until tonight, this was the preferred way of eating them.

But tonight I discovered the ultimate brussels sprouts recipe. If they weren't such a pain to separate from their tiny little cores, I would eat these every single day. I'm not kidding. Because they are only cooked for 3 minutes, they don't have that overcooked cabbage yucky taste. The flavor of the pistachios shines through the whole dish and adds a wonderful nuttiness to the brussels sprouts. And that final zing of lemon amps up the fresh taste.

This is a wonderful note to leave my much loved February 2007 Bon Appetit with. The only problem was that it took longer to separate the brussels sprout leaves than to cook the whole dish!

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pistachios

from Bon Appetit

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp minced onion

1 1/2 pounds of brussels spouts, trimmed, leaves separated from cores (about 8 cups), cores discarded

3/4 cup shelled pistachios

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir 20 seconds. Add brussels sprouts and pistachios, and saute until leaves begin to soften but are still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.