INGREDIENTS
1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine or champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
4 cups chard, stems removed and chopped into fine pieces, leaves cut into bite-sized pieces
2 generous pinches of sea salt
½ cup Marcona almonds or regular almonds that have been blanched and skins removed (*see instructions below)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Working with one Brussels sprout at a time, peel each individual leaf, starting from the outside and working toward the middle. Continue to peel until you get to the tough core where it is just too tight to pull any more leaves. Discard core and put leaves in a big bowl. Repeat with remaining Brussels sprouts.
  2. Over medium heat, warm olive oil in a large frying pan. Add all of the Brussels sprouts leaves and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add the vinegar and maple syrup and toss to coat. Add the chard stems and cook for another minute or so. Add the chard to the pan and toss until just barely wilted. It is better just slightly underdone as it continues to cook in its own heat.
  3. Sprinkle with almonds and sea salt and serve immediately.

Serves 4

* Marcona almonds are blanched Spanish almonds that are sweeter than American almonds. They can run on the expensive side, but I have seen them both at Trader Joe’s and Costco for a reasonable price. You can use American almonds by blanching them and peeling them if you don’t want to use the Marcona almonds.  To blanch, just place the almonds in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes, until you see the skins start to loosen and pull away from the almonds. Remove from water and put on a towel to dry and cool a bit. You want to peel the skins off as soon as you can before they cool too much; it is much easier for the skin to come off while they are still are warm.