It’s funny when some of your biggest enemies turn out years later to be your best friends. As a child, I dreaded nothing more than those mushy, boiled-todeath, off-color Brussels sprouts. But once I discovered fresh Brussels sprouts and learned how to cook them, I became a full-fledged devotée! Here, in my favorite preparation, they’re sautéed with pancetta, shallots, and garlic and then braised in the pan with balsamic vinegar and veal stock until they’re shiny and glazed.

　　

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1 pound small Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed

　　1/4 pound pancetta, finely diced

　　2 tablespoons finely diced shallots

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

　　1 cup veal stock

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the olive oil and butter, and wait another minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, and season them with 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Shake the pan, rolling the Brussels sprouts around to help them brown evenly. After a few minutes, turn the heat to medium, and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the sprouts soften slightly.

　　

Step 2

Add the diced pancetta to the pan and cook a minute or two, until it starts to crisp. Stir in the shallots and garlic, and cook another minute or so, until they’re translucent. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and reduce by half. Add the veal stock and reduce to about a 1/4 cup, stirring and shaking the pan often to glaze the Brussels sprouts. If you start to run low on liquid before the sprouts are cooked, add a little water to the pan. Serve immediately, or transfer to a baking sheet to cool.

　　Sunday Suppers at Lucques[by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2005 by Suzanne Goin. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved..Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef by Boston magazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine in 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz.Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/1400042151)