Recipe Test: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apple & Pancetta

Credit:  www.bhg.com

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INGREDIENTS:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Apples
• Red onion
• Pancetta or cooked ham
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Mustard Seeds
• Black pepper
• Balsalmic Vinegar
• Honey
• Dijon mustard

I was excited about this one.  I used it as a side to quiche - adding chopped red onion and crumbled pancetta to it to tie it together.   It looked so good going in the oven!  (above)

I have to admit I was tickled to have found pancetta from whole foods that was pretty darn local - my home of good ole' Iowa!

The milk, eggs and pancetta in this meal all came courtesy of Iowa.  I can't help but have a little pride there.  That being said I have to admit I don't think I'd ever had pancetta.  It looked good - like bacon a bit.  Hubby was sooooooo excited about it and demanded a slice left just 'plain' for him to eat.  

I saved two so I could try it all by itself too.  I was shocked at how horribly salty it is!  I know my taste buds have changed and I get very little salt now but this was sooooooooooo salty I couldn't even taste the meat.  All of a sudden I got really worried about it in the quiche and veggies thinking it may be too much.  Not to mention the veggie recipe also calls for salt and other seasonings!  So does the quiche ... and I'd already added them ... uh oh!   

Coming out of the oven it did look good.  The pancetta basically melted into nothingness.  You couldn't see pieces of it in the meal like you would bacon or ham. It smelled great so I thought maybe it would be okay.  

And look how pretty my quiche turned out!  This is a favorite recipe & a repeat now in this house from 100 Days of Real Food... I just switch up what the additions are each time.  

So here's dinner ... I had just a small slice of quiche and of course ... mostly fruits & veggies!  

The quiche was great - flavorful but not too salty.  Again the pancetta basically melted into everything else.  Sadly the veggies were WAY too salty and just too many flavors for my taste.  There's the mustard, the balsalmic, the pancetta saltiness ... you can barely taste the veggies.  And honestly I really like the flavors of these so I was sad not to be able to taste them.   I would make this again but I would leave out the mustard, balsalmic and ESPECIALLY the pancetta.  Maybe I'd use regular bacon or ham ... but only a little.  You just don't need all that.  Perhaps I'd drizzle a little balsamic but only a dash, not as much as they call for.   Hubby liked them though so give it a try and see what you think.