Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Green Grapes, Toasted Walnuts, and Fig Preserves

My late grandmother believed that it was good luck to eat ham and cabbage on New Year’s Day. I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the same town as my grandmother, so every New Year’s Day my family would drive over to her house for dinner. Holiday dinners happen early in my family, and by the time we arrived at 3 pm or so, her house’s windows would already be steamed up from the morning’s cooking. Opening the kitchen’s screen door to enter brought a blast of heat and the scent of cloves. I even have fond memories of the more earthy, cabbage-y smells that would eventually overpower everything else and stay on my clothes until the evening.

I figured, given the current state of the world, that a little luck couldn’t hurt any of us, so yesterday I bought a ham. While I cooked the ham the old-fashioned way–in a cast-iron pot with cloves and brown sugar and pineapple rings–the sprouts are anything but traditional. When I was a kid, I had to be forced to eat a couple of bites of the boiled cabbage that was ladled onto my plate. While I have outgrown most of my many childhood dislikes, I’m still not a big fan of plain old boiled cabbage, so I opted for brussels sprouts as a side for the ham instead. They’re basically mini-cabbages, so I think even grandma would approve.

I first had a version of these sprouts at a Lebanese restaurant called Ilili. We ordered one serving with the mezze and they were everyone’s favorite, so we ordered several more. Since then, I have been trying to recreate them. These are not the restaurant’s sprouts, but they have a lot of the same flavors, and I’m pretty happy with the results thus far. This dish has a lot going on. It’s savory, sweet, and tart, and with just as many textures as flavors. It’s not my grandmother’s cabbage, but I think I may have started a new tradition. I now count three sprouts-haters converted by this recipe.

Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Green Grapes, Toasted Walnuts, and Fig Preserves
16 oz brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
⅓ cup walnut halves, toasted and then chopped
15 large seedless green grapes, quartered
2 tbsp fresh, chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
generous pinch of salt
2 tbsp fig preserves

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, toast the walnuts over high heat until lightly browned, being careful not to burn. (Time will vary. You’ll be able to tell when they start crackling a little and smell toasty. Toss them a few times in the pan to make sure both sides are toasted.) Cool and then chop and set aside.

In that same large skillet, melt canola oil and butter over medium-high heat, and throw in a generous pinch of salt. Add the sprouts, cut-side down, and cook without stirring until nicely browned, about 5-6 minutes. Toss the sprouts to get some browning on the rest of them and fry another couple of minutes until cooked through. Note: Larger sprouts will require a bit longer to cook. You want them to be tender enough to easily pierce with a fork.

Reduce heat to medium. Add grapes, mint, fig preserves, and walnuts, and gently stir until everything is coated. Heat until mint wilts and grapes are warmed through, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Yields: 4 servings
Time to make: 20 min

Note: When buying the preserves, get the simplest kind, with the fewest ingredients (ideally just figs, sugar, pectin) for best results.