Pure Hunger

There were brussel sprouts large, bright green and beautiful at the co-op the other day and they happened to be on sale. I grabbed a pound just because I couldn’t resist such gorgeous produce. Then I got home and pondered what I was going to do with such a find. This often happens. I do enjoy planning a menu each week but what really gets my culinary genius flowing is the challenging of taking one ingredient and finding a way to make a meal. I guess I would have been pretty good at Iron Chef. It also helps motivate me when I’m in a rut and focus my time and attention when I have thousands of recipes I want to try. Even more enjoyable is when I only have an hour to make said dinner and all I have in hand is a pound of some key ingredient.

Ingredients

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 large, crisp apple, cut into bite-sized wedges
1 lemon, juice only

.5-1lb cubed pork
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive/coconut oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
a scant tablespoon of maple syrup
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

12 ounces (3/4 pound). brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons
1 cup diagonally sliced asparagus (optional)

This week is was brussel sprouts. They are often given such a bad rap, I believe because they are incorrectly cooked and served. They are often steamed until they are mushy balls of bleck and soaked in butter and spices and served as a side dish. Brussels don’t deserve such abuse. They are like tiny, sweet, zesty cabbages that can be the highlight of any main dish.  They are also so unbelievably healthy for you. So just give them a shot, they deserve it.

Soak the apples in a bowl filled with water and the juice of one lemon. Cook pork in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, wait a few seconds, now stir in the maple syrup, and cook another 30 seconds or so. Drain the apples, and add them to the skillet, cooking for another minute. Scrape the apple and pork mixture out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts and asparagus. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.

Stir the apple mixture back into the skillet alongside the brussels sprouts 1/2 of the pecans- gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately sprinkled with the remaining pecans. Eat immediately to enjoy best flavors of the dish. This is not a dish that should sit around for long.