recipe : warm maple brussels sprouts with pecans

I have been craving brussels sprouts lately ... but why?!  The one and only time I'd ever had them, they were mushy, lacking in a bright green color, and served in some sort of gravy-type broth.  Not my favorite. 

But I'm a complete sucker for any autumnal recipe.  Brussels sprouts recipes began popping up a month or so ago (on the million recipe websites I check religiously each day) and I started to wonder about them, not because I was recalling the taste I was familiar with and wondering about all these people, but because the idea of a shaved brussels sprouts salad sounded so good.

I've had my eye on this recipe for a while now.  The maple intrigued me, as did the pecans, two flavors that are beautiful together.

Warm maple brussels sprouts with pecans
adapted from "the first mess" 
Serves 2 (as a larger salad)

1 T canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t paprika
1 lb brussels sprouts
salt and pepper to taste (I salted liberally to draw out the sweetness)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T maple syrup
1/3 c pecans, roughly chopped

Prepare the brussels sprouts by rinsing and halving each sprout lengthwise.  Remove the core of each half using two diagonal cuts (like a wedge) and slice thinly to shred. 

Put the oil, minced garlic and paprika in a skilled over medium heat and saute until fragrant.  Add the sprouts, stirring attentively for a minute or two to allow for slight wilting (the color will become a bit brighter in green).  Season to taste, then add the vinegar and continue stirring.  After 3 minutes the sprouts should be a little limp and very bright green; at this point remove the skillet from the heat and add the syrup and pecans (I just threw in however many looked perfect - I love pecans).

Serve immediately, warm.  This salad originally serves 4-5 but I'm assuming this is as a side to a main dish - for more of an entree salad, this will likely serve 2 or 3. 

This recipe was beyond delicious.  The maple added just the right touch of sweetness, and the paprika and salt complemented all flavors perfectly.  I really enjoyed the taste of the sprouts - they weren't buried in a sauce or too much seasoning, so they were really highlighted in the dish.  The pecans were the perfect crunch.

I like brussels sprouts now.