I was pretty excited when I found a small bag of Brussels sprouts in my CSA box a couple of weeks ago because I got to experiment with new type of vegetables that I have never had or cooked before. They were freshly harvested, each one was flawless. I looked around for some recipes that sounded yummy and decided to try this one from Ina, her recipes rarely fails me. Her recipe calls for 1 1/2 lb of sprouts, but I only had 1/2 lb, so I cut back the rest of the ingredients accordingly and substituted craisins instead of raisins since that’s all I had in the house.  The only mistake that I did was that I think I cooked it too long (as you can see in the picture), around 8-9 minutes total. I should have cut it back to probably 5-6 to leave the vegetables a little bit of crunch. But the flavor was fantastic. It quickly went up to my top five side dishes favorite, and I wish that I had more. I ate this by spoonfuls and finished them before I even ate up my main course… yes, it was that good. If you are looking for a delicious way to cook these fall harvest, this recipe is a must try. Happy eating!

Adapted from Barefoot in Paris

Ingredients
2 tablespoons good olive oil
6 ounces Italian pancetta or bacon, 1/4-inch dice
1 -1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (2 containers), trimmed and cut in 1/2
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup golden raisins (I used craisins in mine)
1- 3/4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan and add the pancetta. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Add the Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the raisins and chicken stock. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. If the skillet becomes too dry, add a little chicken stock or water. Return the pancetta to the pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.