Brussels Sprouts!

I have recently become obsessed over Brussels Sprouts, they are so delicious and easy to cook! I couldn't believe I have never made or had these as an adult, probably because I hated them as a child. I found the base of this from Laura Vitale from Laura in the kitchen, she used lemon zest in hers and I didn't have a lemon when I made them, so I just used lemon juice, from the predone bottle of lemon juice.

I just started with cutting these in half and pealing of the outer layer, and of course rinsed them. 

After cutting them I just tossed them in some salted boiling water, only for three minutes, just enough time to parboil, until they turn bright green. You really do not need to boil them long at all, because we want the end result to be crispy not mushy!

Just strain these into a clean strainer after they are done par boiling. Just allow them to sit while you prep the garlic and olive oil.

I went ahead and sliced two garlic cloves, thinly. Don't mince it, slice it! :) You will get a crisp on the garlic to go along with the sprouts. A normal person would probably only slice one cloves; however, if we have met, you know I just absolutely love garlic! It is funny because before culinary school I hated garlic, onions, and black pepper, crazy right?!

Get a good amount of olive oil really hot in a saute pan. We are using a generous amount because we want to get a nice golden color on these and we want them crispy! Texture makes all the difference in vegetable! I remember in school, my chef had said most likely when people say they don't like vegetables, they have never had them cooked properly, and that is 100 percent true with me when it comes to these sprouts. I have only ever had them mushy, and when you boil the hell out of theses they are mushy, disgusting, and smell like feet, why would you want to eat something like that? So be generous with the olive oil and get it super hot, so you hear these babies sizzle when they hit the pan.

Once the oil is hot, place the Brussels Sprouts cut side down, and reduce the heat from high to medium high after they've been in for about 45 seconds to a minute. 

Allow them to cook on each side about 3-4 minutes, depending on just how crispy you'd like them.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. (If you don't have zest, you can substitute with lemon juice as I did, though they would be better with zest. Fresh zest is strong and fragrant).

Once they have obtained beautiful color, toss in the sliced garlic, and cook for maybe a minute, stirring the garlic around so it doesn't burn, and turn off the heat immediately.

Finally, enjoy these beautiful veggies, you always hated as a child. This recipe is so simple yet absolutely delicious and divine. I have literally made this five times, and I just cannot get enough of them! A friend of mine told me to bake them as well, that they obtain a great crisp that way as well, so I need to try that out!

Check out Laura in The Kitchen, this is where I obtained her recipe,but I followed my own  feel for ingredient amounts with my own personal taste.