Today we will make together these easy brussels sprouts with lemon and smoked bacon, a simple four-ingredients side dish recipe. This recipe has become the star of Christmas evenings, where it is served with roast turkey, but it also goes well with pork or beef.
Table of Contents
A few words about Brussels sprout, which is the main ingredient of the recipe is a cultivated plant of the same species as broccoli, cabbage or kale, and it seems that it began to be cultivated in the 13th century near Brussels, Belgium, from which they derived their name.
This recipe has several options, and I will show you mine, the simple version you can modify by adding other ingredients.
We Need Four Ingredients
As I said, from the Brussels sprouts with lemon, we need only four ingredients, brussels sprouts, smoked bacon (or pancetta), lemon and chives.
Because I will cook four portions, I will use 500 g of Brussels sprouts, 225 g of smoked bacon (I took sliced but maybe cubes), a piece of lemon from which we will use both the peel and the juice from his half and a bunch of chives (can be replaced with spring onions).
Preparing the Ingredients
Preparing the ingredients does not take much time, and we will start with Brussels sprouts, which, if you bought fresh, must be cleaned first.
With the help of a knife, I removed the first leaves from them and cut off the excess stem and then washed them. If they are of different sizes or are too big among them, I usually cut them in half.
If you use frozen Brussels sprouts, you don’t have to do anything with them because they are already cleaned.
The smoked bacon because it was sliced, and I cut them transversely into strips if they were as close as possible in size to fry in the same way. Also, if you use smoked bacon ready cut into cubes, you do not have to do anything; use it as such.
All I have to do is finely chop the chives because I will grate the lemon and squeeze it directly into the pan.
How to Make the Brussels Sprouts With Lemon?
As I said, there are several ways to cook Brussels sprouts, and I like to boil them a little first, so they will be removed from the sulforaphane content and will not have that strong flavour.
To do this, I boil them in boiling water with a little salt for five minutes, then drain them in a strainer.
Meanwhile, in a larger non-stick pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and put the sliced smoked bacon to fry. Season with half a teaspoon of sea salt and half a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, and fry for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat until all the fat in the bacon melts.
Add the drained Brussels sprouts over the bacon and mix lightly to not crush them but to absorb all the lard left by the bacon.
Now I’ll grate the lemon zest on top and squeeze the juice from half a lemon, add the chopped chives and let everything simmer for about three minutes. Taste, and if you need to add more salt, I put another half teaspoon.
And that’s it, and this is my version of the Brussels sprouts with lemon and smoked bacon, especially delicious and ready to be served.
If you want, now you can add other ingredients such as nuts, hazelnuts, pecans or even raisins, depending on the taste of each; I preferred to leave it that simple.
How to Serve the Brussels Sprouts?
I like to serve it hot with a roast of turkey or chicken and a glass of cold beer, it is delicious, and I invite you to try it.
If you liked my recipe for Brussels sprouts with lemon, I recommend you try other side dish ideas on our blog, such as:
- Grated Summer Squash Stew Recipe
- Best Sauteed Savoy Cabbage Recipe
- Green Beans in Tomato Sauce
- Best Simple Potato Salad Recipe
- Easy Polenta Recipe
- French Fries-Deep Fried Potato Recipe
- Quick and Easy Homemade Coleslaw Recipe
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Brussels Sprouts With Lemon
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients Â
- 500 g Brussels sprouts fresh
- 225 g smoked bacon cut into strips
- 1 piece lemon zest
- ½ piece lemon juice
- 1 bunch chives chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt kosher
- ½ tsp ground pepper freshly ground
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
InstructionsÂ
- Remove the first leaves from sprouts and cut off the excess stem. Cut the bacon into strips and chop the chives.
- Add the Brussels sprouts in boiling water with a little salt for five minutes, after which drain them in a strainer.
- Heat the olive oil in the pan and put the sliced smoked bacon to fry. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and fry for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat until all the fat in the bacon melts.
- Add the drained Brussels sprouts over the bacon, grate the lemon zest on top and squeeze the juice from half a lemon, add the chopped chives and let everything simmer for about three minutes.
- Taste and if necesary add more salt.
- Serve warm with roast turkey, chicken or pork.
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