I’ll be trying this one out this week; it might be the best way to handle sprouts of mixed sizes, which tend to cook unevenly:

Brussels Sprouts With Bacon and Figs

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 8 ounces bacon, chopped
1 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed
1 cup dried figs, stemmed and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste.

1. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, then bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put sprouts through feed tube of a food processor equipped with a slicing attachment and shred. (You can also do this with a mandoline or a knife.)

3. Add sprouts, figs and 1/4 cup water to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn heat to medium, and cook, undisturbed, until sprouts and figs are nearly tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until any remaining water evaporates, another 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar, taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

3 cups cubed peeled turnips (about 1 1/4 pounds)
3 cups cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 1/2 cups cubed peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350°.

Coat a shallow 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the first 4 ingredients in the baking dish and toss with the lemon juice. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan ont he stove and when butter and sugar have melted, pour over the vegetables and toss. Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until tender, stirring after 45 minutes.

This recipe is from an old Cooking Light magazine. I modify this abit by backing off of the sugar — using about 1/3 cup. The veggies plus fruit make this plenty sweet for me. Also, have added 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the butter/sugar mixture to add some richness. You can substitute parsnips for the turnips if you prefer and once you’ve got the recipe down, you can start exchanging root veggies as you like.

In my version, you need enough chicken stock to cover the veggies as they cook, which is more than 1 1/2 cups as in the original. Just watch it, add broth as needed. If it purees too heavy, add more broth at the end; if it purees too light, just give it some reheating time without a lid.

As I said, very forgiving…

Here’s the original recipe; my changes are listed below

The original recipe makes about 5 cups.

1 cup thinly sliced leeks (2 large)
2 tblspn butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 lb carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tspns minced fresh ginger (do not substitute a ground spice)
1/2 lb “boiling” potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 cups half and half
minced chives or slivered candied ginger for garnish

Soak the leeks to get out the grit before slicing. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add leeks and onions and saute until translucent and wilted. Add carrots, ginger, potatoes. Saute and stir for a few minutes to soften. Add salt, pepper, chicken stock. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender enough to be mashed with a fork. Cool and puree in food processor or blender. Chill thoroughly. Blend in half and half. Serve chilled in small chilled bowls; or serve warm after reheating gently.

PM’s changes to the original:
Use 1/2 cup onions, preferably the sweet ones. Use at least 1 lb. to 1 1/4 lb. organic carrots, and TASTE the carrots before you start the soup. If they don’t taste delicious raw, you will have nasty soup. If they have good, fresh carrot flavor but aren’t sweet, consider adding a little sugar to the soup to taste. Use two medium Yukon Gold potatoes and one medium-small “boiling” potato. Use 3 tspns. minced fresh ginger. Cook, cool and puree. Omit the half and half completely. The pureed soup is delicious and thick without it. Serve this variation warmed … add a little more stock when warming if it seems too much like “baby food” (my mother’s complaint!) Use the same garnishes or add a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream to the top, as your congratulations for not using all that half and half!
If you puree, taste and something isn’t to your liking, just store your first batch, make a second to over-correct, and blend the two batches. This is a very forgiving soup, and a very nice first course.

First, take half-a-pound of bacon, render it in a pan over medium heat until nice and crispy. Remove bacon, but leave tasty drippings in pan.

Mince two shallots. Throw into bacon grease and cook for a minute or two.

Take 2 pounds of Brussels sprouts. Peel loose layers away and cut in half. On medium-high heat, throw the sprouts into the bacon fat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until they begin to tenderize and get all brown and tasty-looking. Lower heat to medium-low and add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken broth. Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove cover. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add reserved bacon. Mix and serve.

I’ve had people swear they would never eat Brussels sprouts; not so after trying these!

PM, I just use a basic grocery store (McCormick?) brand curry – because 1) it’s expensive, and 2) I use A LOT. The soup will be a curry sweet. Trust me, add sugar, taste, add sugar, taste. You Will know when it’s perfect. And get cracking on that carrot ginger soup recipe! Sounds delicious… and tis the soup season!

3 eggs
1 t salt
pepper to taste
1 green pepper chopped
1 C celery chopped
1 C pop-corn
garlic and parsley to taste

Mix all ingredients together well, stuff turkey loosely. Put in 350 degree oven and bake until the popcorn blows the ass off the turkey.

I know its corny but every year my grandmother would get out this recipe around this time and laugh until the tears ran down her cheeks. Racy woman.