Nutty Nuttiness

Having bought more slivered almonds to make Christmas cookies than I am likely to use up in a lifetime, I'm on the lookout ways for to use them. First the snapper from a few nights ago; it used a nice handful but I still have a lot left. Onward!

When My Beloved brought home a boatload of fresh Brussels sprouts, I thought perhaps some of those almonds, nicely toasted, would be good with butter-steamed sprouts, too.

All I did was cautiously toast another generous handful of almonds in a dry pan over medium heat, set them aside, quarter the sprouts with a sharp knife, braise them slowly in the same pan with melted butter and about a tablespoon of water until the water evaporated and left the sprouts and the butter to gently brown together. Sprinkled on the almonds and served.

It was two kinds of nutty. The gently cooked sprouts brought their nuttiness to the dish and, obviously, so did the almonds. The texture contrast was interesting and fun, the colors toned together beautifully and the taste was lovely and mellow with just a flick of the bitter as an aftertaste. I loved 'em. He, while not exactly loving them, agreed that it's a good preparation for a vegetable he's not overly fond of. There's a certain lovable nuttiness in a guy who brings home as a present for his wife a huge supply of a veggie he doesn't really like. No wonder I'm nuts about the guy.