I often serve this as a main course, but it is in its element as a side dish. Its bright green and smoky-bacon notes would be interesting with grilled mackerel, or perhaps with thinly sliced cold meat such as roast pork or beef. This is essentially a cheap dish, robust and earthy, to which you could add caraway seeds if juniper isn’t your thing, or shreds of fat-speckled salami in place of the bacon, or a few croutons to make it more substantial.
Recipe information
Yield
enough for 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Remove any tatty outer leaves from the sprouts, then drop them into the boiling water. Return to a boil and simmer for three or four minutes, until they are bright and crisp. Drain in a colander.
Step 2
Fry the bacon in a nonstick pan until crisp and golden. Meanwhile, slice the sprouts in half. Once the bacon is ready, remove and drain on paper towels. Add the sprouts to the pan—they will pick up all the crusty bits left in the pan by the bacon.
Step 3
Crush the juniper berries with the side of a knife blade or a pestle—you only need flatten them. Add them to the sprouts, along with a light grinding of salt and some black pepper.
Step 4
Meanwhile, cut the bacon into pieces no smaller than a postage stamp. When the sprouts are starting to soften but are still bright in color, return the bacon to the pan for a few minutes. Serve sizzling hot.
