Sometimes, you just need to get out of town for a little bit! That’s what Dave and I did this weekend. Saturday morning after baking some cookies, we packed them up and headed south to Corvallis to visit our friends. We were only out of town for about 24 hours, but boy, it felt nice.

When we came home today we had enough time to run some errands, make some beer and create a fabulous dinner. Some pasta with homemade tomato sauce from homegrown tomatoes, and this delicious Brussels sprouts side from the Bon Appetit Thanksgiving issue.

It was nice and spicy! Definitely a little more flavor that you usually get in a plate of Brussels sprouts. I also liked the way the recipe advised to pull lots of leaves off – they cooked much more quickly than normal.

This was part of the BA Thanksgiving issue, and I think it would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table. I often don’t think they incorporate enough spice or enough veggies. But I think we’ll probably make this again outside of holiday gatherings, too. Bring on the spice!

Here’s what you need:
1/2 cup almonds
6 oz. spicy ground chorizo
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tsp. thyme leaves
2 lbs. brussels sprouts
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Cut the stems off the brussels sprouts. Then, pull as many leaves as you can off the brussels sprouts and collect in a bowl. Quarter the remaining cores and pull apart as much as you can into small pieces.

In a skillet, gently toast the almonds over low heat just until they become fragrant. Remove from the heat and then roughly chop.

Next, crumble and brown the chorizo. When it is cooked, remove from the heat and transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Wipe the inside with a paper towel to clean out the grease from the chorizo.

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in the skillet and cook the garlic and thyme until the garlic is barely golden. Add the brussels sprouts a few handfuls at a time, allowing the batches to wilt before adding another handful. When they’ve all been added, cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Then, remove from the heat and toss with the chorizo, chopped almonds and vinegar. Season liberally with salt and pepper.