Brussels sprouts & chestnuts.
4 Servings
“Brussels sprouts and chestnuts are both fall crops, making them a perfect combination for Thanksgiving.” Kathleen Curtin and Sandra L. Oliver, Giving Thanks (New York 2005) For four.
-1 lb Brussels sprouts
-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-about 1 ½ cups shelled and roasted chestnuts (see the notes)
-2 Tablespoons minced parsley
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-salt and pepper
- Cook and drain the sprouts.
- Melt the butter in an appropriate skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sprouts, making sure that any lingering moisture evaporates, then add the chestnuts.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, shaking te pan to coat the vegetables evenly with the butter, add the cumin, and cook a few minutes more, until the vegetables are warm and napped in their butter.
- Fold the parsley into the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes:
- Shelling a chestnut is a chore. It also is unnecessary, because good, reasonably priced shelled and roasted chestnuts are available in cans, jars and foil pouches.
- This recipe is adapted, but only a little, from Giving Thanks: Credit where credit is due. The cumin is their idea and it is an inspired one. The spice is not used enough, weirdly shy and assertive at once, in a most winsome way. Our recpe uses a little more of it than the original, and even could use a little more.