Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Pancetta

Did you know brussels sprouts grow on stalks? That’s a portion of one stalk in the photo. Cool, right? They grow straight up out of the ground like that! Brussels sprouts that are still on the stalk are much fresher than loose ones, so I buy them like this whenever I can, and I don’t pop the sprouts off the stalk until I’m ready to cook them to ensure that they’ll be at their best. Of course finding space in my packed-to-the-gills refrigerator for an unwieldy stalk of brussels sprouts can be a challenge, but it’s worth it to do a little reshuffling.

Here’s the stalk after I popped off all the sprouts.

Believe it or not, the center of the stalk is edible as well. It looks tough and woody on the outside, but if you hack it up into smaller pieces and steam them, the “marrow” inside becomes soft, sweet and delicious. Just be sure to use a cleaver or really durable knife with a heavy blade – that stalk is not easy to get through.

I know brussels sprouts aren’t the most beloved vegetable of all time. That’s because people abuse these poor little crucifers! You have to treat them with respect and a little love. Boiled to death? Blech. Tough and undercooked? No thank you. But roasted until tender, nutty, and slightly sweet? Give me a fork and get out of my way. I also love them shaved raw into a salad or separated into leaves and baked or stir-fried, but those are posts for another day. Today, we roast.

Personally I’m always happy to eat brussels sprouts that are simply tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted to perfection, but during the holiday season I like to gussy them up a bit. I’ve made some variation of this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner several years in a row now, and they’re always a hit. I knew I had a success on my hands when a certain finicky family member who insisted that they would never try brussels sprouts ate one….and then an entire serving. And then seconds. And then requested them again the following year. Yay me.

I don’t eat a lot of meat, so trust me when I say that even though I enjoy the flavor and texture of the pancetta in this recipe the sprouts are still fabulous without it. So, if you’d prefer to make this a vegan dish go ahead and omit the pancetta, you just may have to use a bit more olive oil since you won’t be adding the rendered pancetta fat. You may also want to increase the salt and add an extra pinch of smoked paprika to account for the absence of pancetta.

If you are using pancetta, this is how you want to dice it – anywhere between ¼ and ½ inch.

Cook the pancetta until it’s somewhat chewy and nicely rendered like the example in the photo. You don’t want it too well-done at this stage since you’ll add it back to the pan to finish cooking with the brussels sprouts once they’re out of the oven.

Here’s how the brussels sprouts should look when you pull them from the oven. They will have started to brown lightly in some spots, but they’re not completely cooked through. Now you’ll toss them into a hot pan with the rendered pancetta, balsamic, pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds to finish cooking for a few minutes. Once they’re nicely browned and tender, toss with toasted nuts and torn fresh herbs, garnish with a few more pomegranate seeds, and dig in.

Sweet, salty, smoky tangy, tender, crunchy…you know these sprouts are calling your name. What are you waiting for? Go cook some!