Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

Thank you all for Larry’s well wishes.  He is almost completely healed from his little bug.  In fact, he is feeling so much better, and he decided to smoke some ribs on the smoker.  He did a small batch of both beef short ribs and pork spare ribs.  I have to admit, ribs are NOT my favorite, but I do enjoy them every now and then.  When I do eat them, I prefer the beef short ribs to the pork spare ribs.

I sauteed some Brussels sprouts with apples, bacon, shallots and red pepper to go along with the ribs, as well as some of the leftover arroz verde and mushroom strudel.  Mushroom Strudel.  Other than the ribs, that needed to be smoked for a few hours, everything else was just quickly thrown together in no time at all to make a fairly impromptu meal.

 

Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon

As you can see, this delicious dish only takes a handful of simple ingredients.  This is obviously just small amount.  Make adjustments accordingly.

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, with the bottoms removed and cut in half

1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine

1 apple, peeled and diced – I like galas, but you can use whatever type you like

4-5 slices of bacon, cut into pieces

1/2 shallot, sliced thin

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper to taste – more pepper than salt though, because the bacon will add a salty taste too.

 

Cook the bacon first, making it on the crispy side.  Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the heat and set it aside, reserving the bacon grease.

Add the olive oil to the bacon grease and then add the vegetables and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender.

Once the vegetables are all cooked, add the bacon back in to the mixture and mix thoroughly.  It’s now ready to serve and enjoy.  I love the combination of apples, bacon and Brussels sprouts together.  The flavors just come together perfectly.  You’ve got the bitter from the sprouts, the salty from the bacon and sweet from the apples.  In a word, YUM!