Do you remember how, when you were a kid, people never respected your ideas? This has always seemed so backwards to me because all of the adults I knew abused my naive trust and pushed me to believe that I could do whatever I set my mind to; so really it was their fault for my gloriously unabashed view of the world. The twisted part, is that they would then laugh in my face when I told them of the adventures we should take to magical lands or how we should bake little cakes that could make us into giants like Alice. As they laughed or smirked or even grimaced with distain, I would stare up at them, like a deer caught in the headlights of reality, ashamed.
Not all adults were so cruel, some would humor my ramblings as I’m sure some humored yours. Children have such innocents and wonder, it’s breathtaking.
I was reminded of this the other day as I was making dinner. Drew and I have become quite the fans of a rather unorthodox dish that I have dubbed “Brussels sprout Hash” for lack of a better name and as I stood at the sink rinsing the Brussels of their debris I thought of how my child hood self would have looked at me in horror and disgust if only she knew that I was cooking brussels sprouts.
You see, when I was little, I was absolutely convinced that brussels sprouts were alien brains. They looked like them, smelled like death warmed up (which is what I imagined alien brains to smell like) and had the texture of slightly crunchy mush. I would adamantly question my mother, wondering how they were even supposed to be edible and then push them around my plate to make her believe that I had eaten more than I had and that I should, in fact, be allowed to leave the table… this never worked, my mother is a very attentive woman (from me to you I think she counted the brussels as she put them on our plates, very sneaky).
Over the years my mom kept telling me that someday I would like brussels and that I should just eat them and learn to like them now, because “theres no time like the present”. This, sounded like solid logic but somewhere in the back of my head my five year old self was screaming “Its a trap! Don’t do it!!! They are alien brains and you know it!”
Alas, my mother was right (though it pains me to admit it). My pallet is far more adventurous than I ever would have dreamed as a small child who wanted only to eat cakes like Alice. And so here we are 20+ years later and I am going to give you one of the most delectable brussels sprout recipes I have concocted to date (all the while my childhood self is stomping her feet in protest).
Brussels Sprout Hash, (Two Serving Recipe, Plan Accordingly)
20 Medium sized Brussels Sprouts, rinsed and chopped into fine slices (so they look kind of like shredded cheese)
1/4-1/2 cup Red Onion, diced
2-3 strips Organic Turkey Bacon
2 Eggs
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Honey
3 TBSP Sriracha (we do like the spice, so reduced the amount for a little less heat)
2 TBSP White Vinaigre
Salt and Pepper to Taste
In a preheated skillet cook your turkey bacon until it is slightly browned on both sides. While your bacon is browning rinse and chop your brussels and red onion. Once the bacon is done cooking, remove it from the skillet and add in your olive oil, brussels, and red onion. Saute the veggies, adding in your honey, sriracha, and vinaigre. Lower the heat and allow to simmer so that the flavors can cook down into each other. Chop the bacon into small bite size pieces and add it to the pan.
While the brussels are cooking down heat another pan and fry (or scramble if you prefer, but I may judge you a little) the eggs.
Once all of the tasty goodness is cooked and ready, salt and pepper to taste, place into a bowl, drizzle on more Sriracha and dévouer (alien brains and all).
xx
