Ingredients:

• 1.2kg Brussels Sprouts (washed, trimmed and split in half)
• 100g Pancetta (diced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (sliced)
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with water, add a generous amount of sea salt and heat under high heat until rapidly boiling.
2. Place your Brussels Sprouts in batches into the boiling salted water and cook for 3-4mins, until bright green and cooked al dente.  Remove and place it on a colander to steam and drain off the excess water.
3. In a large saute pan, add your Pancetta and cook over medium low heat under the fat from the Pancetta has rendered and the Pancetta is lightly golden brown.  Add your garlic and cook for 1min.
4. Increase the temperature to your pan to high and add your Brussels Sprouts and saute for 4-5mins, stirring occasionally.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

• There’s only two real key points to this recipe, getting good quality young fresh Brussels Sprouts and cooking it correctly and not over or undercooking it.
• For the Brussels Sprouts, you want sprouts that are bright green and tight, firm and compact bodies and aren’t too big or small.  Avoid Brussels Sprouts that seem light for their weight, and are discoloured or bruised.  
• In regards to cooking, you want to start off the pancetta on a cold pan and gradually bring the heat up in the pan as to allow the fat to render.  After the fat has rendered you add the garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant, before turning up the heat to high and adding the Brussels Sprouts.
• If you don’t  have a large enough saute pan, it’s better to cook your Brussels Sprouts in batches rather than cooking them all at the same time.  If you overcrowd your pan with sprouts, they won’t cook evenly.
• Be careful with the amount of salt you add to finish the dish, as you already season the boiling water used to par cook the Brussels Sprouts and the Pancetta itself is also quite salty.