Pasta with Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Pancetta & Pine Nuts

*Post by Angela.

After my fail with the duck the other night, I needed a win on the books. Something beautiful and tasty, something that I absolutely couldn't screw up. That's where this dish from thekitchn came in. It utilizes two of my favorite ingredients, Brussels sprouts and pancetta, and marries them together in an elegant pasta dish. I love Brussels sprouts in all iterations, but I've never had them shredded before. It's a nice twist, and may be the way to ease those uneasy about sprouts into becoming full-fledged addicts like me. In any event, this is a quick, easy, gorgeous meal, perfect for a summer dinner.

 

List of ingredients:

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz pancetta, diced
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 lb capellini
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• Kosher salt and pepper

First, I toasted the pine nuts. Mark has recently got over his fear of these delicious seeds (he had an unfortunate "pine mouth" experience some months back and is just learning to love again).

 

I brought a pot of water to boil for the pasta and prepped all the Brussels sprouts, trimming them, then slicing them very thinly cross-wise. Ta da!  Shreds. I tossed them in a little lemon juice to keep them from browning, and also to add a little bit of brightness and acidity.

 

I heated the olive oil to a pot over medium high heat, then added the diced pancetta and cooked until crispy, about 5 minutes. I added the shallots and garlic, and cooked until the shallots were soft. In the meanwhile, I cooked the pasta until al dente.

 

I added the Brussels sprouts and chicken broth to the pot, seasoned with salt and pepper, and cooked until the sprouts were just barely tender (not mushy!), about 5 minutes.

 

I added the cooked, drained pasta into the pot with the rest of the ingredients (including the pine nuts), and tossed it all together. This was such a great, quick little dinner, yet somehow was so fancy. Like I should be sipping on a glass of white wine on a balcony in some old European city. And, including prep time, it comes together in about 30 minutes. When you cook as much as I do, they can't all be wins. But, to quote a very wise man, I LOVE it when a plan comes together.

Comments

[Sylvie]

Looks so good. I wish pine nuts were cheaper so that I could use it more often.

[Evan]

looks great. And you used one of my favorite ingredients -- Brussels Sprouts. Good combination to add pine nuts, ill have to try that

[Angela]

Sylvie-
Yeah, they're definitely not cheap. But I love them so.

Evan-
I've never shredded them before, and they were GREAT. Let me know if you try that salmon version.

[Nancy]

This looks so good. I am certainly going to try it. Never thought of shredding Brussels sprouts before. Thanks.

[Angela]

Nancy-
Neither had I! It's nice - I think you could probably also make this dish with leeks (which I ALSO love), if you just cooked them a little longer.