Best. Brussels Sprouts. Ever.

When I was little, brussels sprouts made me literally gag, in the same way that I now gag when I take a deep whiff of milk that is weeks past its prime (this happens too often in our apartment). Sometime in the last couple of years, I started sauteeing them instead, and liked what I tasted. When I was starting out, I would chop off the base and then take them apart leaf by leaf. This is a quick and fun way to go, since sauteeing the leaves in olive oil with salt and pepper takes only a couple of minutes, and leaves you with tasty, crispy morsels that look nothing like brussels sprouts. It's a little bit oilier of a method, though, which is why I do things a little differently these days.

For two people, I use:
-10 brussels sprouts
-1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
-about 1/2 cup chicken broth
-extra credit, but not necessary for yumminess: toasted pine nuts!
-salt and pepper (sea salt's yummy, but any will work)

1. First, chop just a little off the base of each sprout. Then, cut each sprout in half from base to top.
2. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a little over medium in a skillet (non-non-stick is nice because it allows the sprouts to get a little more caramelized), and throw the sprouts in once the oil is nice and hot. It should be hot enough that the sprouts sizzle. Let them sit there for a couple of minutes, stirring if they are clearly on their way to burning.
3. Turn each piece over after a while, so that they get browned on both sides.
4. Once most pieces are nice and browned, turn the heat down to low, move the skillet off heat, and add the garlic to an area of the skillet that still has enough oil to keep the garlic from burning, adding more oil if there is no such area. The garlic only needs twenty seconds or so; as soon as it is on its way to smelling good,
5. move the skillet back to heat, turn the burner down to medium-low, add the chicken broth, stir, and cover. Let simmer, covered, for four minutes or so. If you end up needing extra time for whatever else you are cooking to finish up (for us it was spaghetti with lentils from Monday), the sprouts will keep very patiently, covered, in the pan for quite a while. If you're using the toasted pine nuts, just scatter them on each person's plate, or stir them into the communal vegetable bowl right before serving (not that anything will go wrong if you add them earlier: they just won't be as toasty-crunchy).

We had extra fun with this dish last night by sprinkling the sprouts with red alder smoked salt from The Meadow. I've been trying forever (well, since I bought the salt) to find something that isn't overwhelmed by this salt, and I have a winner!

So there you go. Brussels sprouts that melt in your mouth in the deliciousness sense, but still stand up to your mouth in drawing a hard line against mushiness.