Foodie Friday: Cooking Vegetables in Animal Juice

Here is the best brussels sprout recipe. Doesn't even require blanching.

You cut some nice, thick strips of guanciale, or, if you haven't got a good Italian market, you go to a grocer that serves a black clientele and use pork jowl, which is essentially the same thing. Put the guanciale in an unheated heavy sauté pan and then place the pan on the stove over a very low heat. Slowly, slowly render out the fat, occasionally turning the pork so that it renders out on both sides. Patience is the key here; if your pan gets even a bit too hot, the meat and fat will begin to fry and the rendering process will stop.

Meanwhile, remove the base and outer layer of a pound or so of brussels sprouts. Cut the sprouts in half. Toss them very lightly in olive oil--the addition of a little oil brightens the flavor and also helps speed the cooking process later on, as it transfers heat around the vegetable more efficiently.

When you have a nice layer of grease in the bottom of your pan, the equivalent of at least a couple of generous tablespoons, remove the meat and residual solid fat. Increase the heat to high. When the pan is popping hot, toss in the sprouts. Sauté until they just begin to blacken around the edges. Remove immediately from heat and then remove from oil with a slotted spoon. Toss with coarse sea salt to taste. Serve immediately.