The texture of the sprouts is important. If they are undercooked, they will be hard. If overcooked, they will be bad looking.
ingredients for 4 servings (cost about 4 € pp)
- 500 g Brussels sprouts
- 350 g pork belly meat (pancetta)
- 1 medium onion
- Salt
- Pork fat
- Parsley
- Coarse Pepper
Brassica vegetables (brussels sprouts-broccoli-cauliflower) are a great pairing for pork, especially for fatty parts of it, such as the pancetta. Let´s try an easy and extra tasty dish.
First of all wehave to cook the pancetta. We put it in a covered baking pan, we salt it and we roast it for about 2 hours at 160 C degrees, aiming to make it tender.
Then we have to cook well the Brussels sprouts.
– What does “cook well” mean? You have to explain it.
– Brussels sprouts have to be very fresh (as time passes, they become woody) and if possible small or medium. If they are very small we can keep them whole, otherwise we cut them in halves, vertically. We boil plenty of water and we salt it very well, about 1 spoonful for every liter of water. The large quantity of salt helps us maintain the green color and turns the hard ¨small cabbages¨ to tender and buttery. We boil the cabbages in batches. The total time has to be a few minutes. 3, 4, 5 depending from sprouts size, freshness and variety.
Meanwhile we subfry the onion slices and we cut thinly the already roasted pancetta. We add it in the pan and we cook it till crispy, but still fatty inside.
We add pork fat (we can use the pancetta fat) and the sprouts and we sauté for 1 minute or 2.
We finish with a little parsley and coarse pepper.
