Don't forget to eat your brussels sprouts!

Brussels sprouts are a vegetable that you either love or hate. I happen to be a person who loves them (most likely because of my mother. After all, they're her favorite vegetable). They're not a vegetable that I buy often. So as weird as it may sound, it's like having a treat when I do get them. I typically roast brussels sprouts with pecans (as I did for a November Club a couple years ago) but I thought I'd try a different cooking method this time.  So I turned to Martha, since I'm usually never let down by her recipes. I found a recipe for seared brussels sprouts with vinegar glazed red onion. Sounds yummy, right? Trust me it was! The glazed red onion added a sweet flavor to the brussels sprouts. So if you're a person who doesn't like brussels sprouts because you think the flavor is 'too strong' try this recipe out. It's a nice balance of strong and sweet flavors.

Ingredients:

1 (about 10-ounce) basket brussels sprouts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Trim outer leaves and stems from brussels sprouts, and discard. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and add salt. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Add brussels sprouts to boiling water, and cook until tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and plunge into ice-water bath to cool. Drain well, and cut in half.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add brussels sprouts, and cook, tossing occasionally, until they are brown and crisp on the edges, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon each butter and oil to the same pan over medium-low heat. Add onions, and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted and transparent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add vinegar (stand back to avoid the fumes), and stir to loosen any brown bits on bottom of pan. Cook until vinegar is reduced and the onions are glazed, about 30 seconds.

Add onions to brussels sprouts, and toss well. Serve immediately.