Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Golden Raisins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ina Garten was the inspiration for this recipe. I came across the sprout preparation in her book "Barefoot in Paris" and have talked about making them for the past five years. Yesterday, with some urging from my husband, I made them part of out Thanksgiving meal, and, to my great surprise, they were the vegetable hit of the day. This is a straightforward recipe. I opted to cook the spouts in two stages. I assembled and browned them in the morning and braised them just before serving. It worked well; the sprouts retained their glorious color and added a vibrant green to our table. I had no pancetta in the house so I used bacon and it worked wonderfully well. I really liked this recipe. I hope you'll try it.

Braised Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Golden Raisins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces bacon or pancetta, cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
1 (14.5-oz.) can reduced sodium chicken broth

Directions:
1) Heat olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet. Add bacon and saute until fat is rendered and bacon is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper toweling to drain.
2) Add Brussels sprouts, salt, and pepper to skillet and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add raisins and chicken stock. Lower heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Return bacon to pan and heat through. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Yield: 8 servings.

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