Super Food Side Dish

Brussel Sprout Hash

Brussel Sprouts; which in recent years have been deemed a super food, are my absolute favorite vegetable!  I crave them like many people crave sugary sweets.  In fact, I would much rather eat a brussel sprout than a candy bar or a cupcake any day.  I have been eating brussel sprouts all of my life.  When I was young, my mother would cook brussel sprouts at least once a week.  She would steam them and serve with a simple preparation of vinegar and butter and unlike most kids, I was in heaven every time these miniature cabbages made an appearance on my dinner plate.

Brussel sprouts are in fact of the same species as cabbage and in the same family as collard greens, broccoli, kale and kohlrabi.  They are incredibly high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. All of these attributes make this the perfect side dish for someone like me who also loves the flavor, texture and heartiness of this incredible vegetable.  

I started preparing brussel sprouts many years ago in a number of different ways before their recent and sudden rise to fame in the televised culinary world.  One morning, while still laying in bed where I dream up most of my creations, I decided that I was going to create a recipe with brussel sprouts combining several of my favorite ingredients and call it a brussel sprout hash.  And this is what I came up with...

 Here I have brussel sprouts, chorizo sausage, chickpeas, red pepper flakes, olive oil, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

First, I start by slicing my brussel sprouts 3 to 4 times lengthwise depending on the size of the sprout.  I cut them this way to reduce the cooking time.

Next, I remove the casing from the sausage and break it apart into small chunks.  This sausage is made locally at A Wee Bit Farm located in Orland, Maine; which produces natural free range meats. You can purchase it at The Portland Food Co-op on Congress Street in Portland, Maine.

In a large non-stick pan, I cook the chorizo rendering the fat and all of it's amazing flavors for about 5 minutes.  When the sausage is fully cooked, remove from the pan and set aside leaving the rendered fat to cook the brussel sprouts in.

I add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and then add my sprouts. I season the sprouts with a teaspoon of sea salt and cracked black pepper and saute them until they start to brown.  When the sliced sprouts are nicely browned on each side, I add a half a cup of chicken broth and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, reduce the heat, cover and steam the brussel sprouts for 3 to 5 minutes or until they are fork tender. **Note - if you do not like spicy dishes, you can replace the red pepper flakes with a couple of dashes of smoked paprika.  This changes the overall flavor profile of the dish a bit but it is still delicious.  Smoked paprika is one of my favorite spices to use.

Once the sprouts are sufficiently steamed, add back the chorizo sausage and a 19 ounce can of chickpeas.  Toss all of the ingredients together and finish with about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.

You can serve this as a side dish with so many different meals.  Personally, I can and have eaten this as a meal on its own when I am cooking for myself.   I realize there are good number of people who absolutely detest brussel sprouts.  My theory is that their hatred of them stems from how they were prepared and served to them as children. I have managed to get some of these people to try my brussel sprout hash.  I am happy to say that I have been able to change the minds of a number of brussel sprout haters with this recipe.  

If you are one of the many who have hated brussel sprouts all of your life, I challenge you to try this recipe.  This is the perfect combination of spicy, salty, sweet, tangy and earthy flavors.  I promise this will change the way you feel about this vegetable.

Enjoy!