It always amazes me what a difference 1 week in Minnesota can make! Last week, I was overheating in my light 3/4 sleeve shirt and jeans. While this week, my 3 layers, scarf, and head band were not enough to keep me warm. We continued to plant the garlic, which brings the entire garlic experience full circle. In June we started the battle with the weeds. I felt rewarded with the introduction of a garlic scape. July brought a heat index of 130. On a cloudless Tuesday, we yanked the garlic out of the insanely hot field, and loaded them onto the tractor to be heaved into the barn loft for curing. Weeks later, we sat in the sun talking and “breaking” the heads for planting.
My last day at Loon was spent riding behind the tractor, pushing the last of the cloves into the dirt. I’ll remember this forever as the summer of garlic. I wanted to share a recipe I tried last week. Part of my decision to be a work share this summer was for the opportunity to be exposed to new vegetables. Here is the recipe for my new favorite way to make brussel sprouts. I adapted a recipe I found in Loon’s newsletter. I made this dish in my Flameware Skillet. It was delicious, and the leftovers kept for over a week.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
½ stem of Brussels sprouts
5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter Salt and pepper, to taste
Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash and dry the Brussels sprouts. Trim off the ends of the sprouts, remove the outer leaves, and then cut them in half. Set aside. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and place the pieces on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and butter to the skillet. After the butter has melted, add the sprouts and cook for 3 minutes, just until the sprouts have started to brown. Add the bacon back to the skillet and toss gently.
Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spread the sprouts and bacon out onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese, and roast for 15 minutes, or until the sprouts are fork-tender. Remove from the oven and serve in you favorite Clay Coyote piece. I served the dish in our new pasta bowl shown below in sage.
