Brussels Sprouts with Almonds

I always joke that Jews and Italians are very similar - most things revolve around food and guilt.  This would explain why two of my best friends are both Italian.  When I received the  The Silver Spoon cookbook I was excited;  apparently it's a book that most Italians have in their collection.  I knew that I couldn't make a handful of the recipes in here (pork, shellfish, etc) and would have to amend some to fit kosher restrictions, but there were many recipes I could make as published.  When I had friends over for dinner I opted to make a meal entirely from this book.  The posts this week are the ones that I made for this meal.

I honestly don't understand why Brussels sprouts have a bad rap.  If I could eat them with every meal, I would.  The easiest (and delicious) way we make them are to just add a little salt, oil and roast until crispy.  But it's always nice to mix things up a little and try out new ways to enjoy your favorite veggies.  For the side dish I opted to try out this recipe for Brussels sprouts with almonds.  It came out very tasty and I would definitely consider making this again with a dairy or parve meal.

Brussels Sprouts with Almonds (from The Silver Spoon)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1 garlic clove
zest of 1 lemon, chopped
1 1/2 tsp unflavored bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Directions
- Cook the Brussels sprouts in salted, boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain thoroughly, place on a serving dish and keep warm.
- Heat half the butter in a skillet, add the almonds and the garlic, and stir-fry for a few minutes.  Add the lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.  Remove and discard the garlic.
- Melt the remaining butter in a small pan and stir-fry the bread crumbs until golden, then stir into the almond mixture, spoon over Brussels sprouts, and serve.