Nippy Brussel Sprouts

When my paternal grandmother passed away, I was sent a box of her recipes. In this box, I found a small cut out from some long-forgotten newspaper that had a recipe for Nippy Greenbeans. I tried it out on my family and it quickly became a favorite. Last Saturday night, I was searching the web for something to do with some wonderfully smokey and salty bacon that Shannon had made and given me. I had brussel sprouts in the fridge & was searching the web for something new and exciting. Every time I suggested a recipe, my husband would counter with "Nippy Brussel Sprouts". So I finally gave in and the result is a new twist on an old favorite. Oh, and this works well with green beans too!

Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Special Equipment: some really good bacon
Servings: 2

Ingredients:
1/2 pound brussel sprouts, trimmed & halved
3 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 shallot, minced
3 tablespoons cidar vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon savory

1. Cook the brussel sprouts in boiling, salted water until just cooked. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from grease & drain.
3. Pour off all but 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Saute the shallot in the bacon fat until golden. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Add the vinegar, dill, savory and salt & pepper to taste.
4. Re-heat the pan that the brussel sprouts were cooked in. Add the brussel sprouts & shake to make sure they are dried. Add the dressing and toss to coat.