Cooking with Cash-Wa Episode 11: Brussel Sprouts

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Brussels sprouts are becoming more popular today and many restaurants are serving them as an appetizer. This is an easy, do ahead, recipe that packs a ton of sweet earthy flavor to balance the sprouts. Serve these at the Holidays as sharable appetizer or as a vegetable side dish.

· 2 pounds Brussels sprouts

· 2 large, sweet onions

· 4 tablespoons butter

· 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

· Salt and Pepper

Clean the sprouts of any discolored or wilted leaves and trim off any excess stem right up to the sprout. With the knife, score an X on the stem about 1/8″ thick. This will help the water better penetrate the stem for even cooking.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add enough salt until it is “salty like the sea”, not the Dead Sea, but the Ocean

Add your sprouts to the salted water and cook them at a moderate boil until “JUST” tender. This means you can pierce it with tip of a knife somewhat easily, but they are not soft. Drain them and set them aside until you are ready for dinner.

Meanwhile, cut the onions in half, then slice them perpendicular about 1/8″ thick so you have thin half-moon slices of onion. In a not stick fry pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add all the onions. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of salt and stir in. Allow the onions to cook without touching them much as they will release their liquid and start to wilt. If you see the onions are starting to color before they wilt. turn your heat down. Once the onions have released all their water, they will slowly start to darken because the sugars in the onions are now at a higher concentration. You can turn the heat up now to speed up this process. You want them to be golden brown and very sweet. Once the onions are caramelized, transfer them to an ovenproof casserole pan.

Add the reserved Brussels sprouts to the onions and toss to mix the two. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and then bake them in a 350°F oven until warmed through and the cheese has melted.