Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, Mushrooms, and Cherry Tomatoes

...or are these grape tomatoes? I get so confused. Little ones, go for the little ones ;-)

I had a grip of sprouts that I needed to use up, and needed to come up with a side dish that would go with my chicken that was baking in the oven. It also needed to be something that my husband would eat, because he is not a fan of sprouts, so I was under the gun for sure!

So, with giant all-clad pan in hand I set out to conquer his aversion, and I think I did a pretty good job because he ate it right up!

I do need to note here though that I was out of EVCO so I used EVOO, which I know isn't totally on the lev, but it was what I had.

What you need:

1/2 lb brussel sprouts, quartered
1 container tomatoes
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt
Pepper
Garlic (I used powder, real garlic would have been better!)
EVCO or EVOO*

*I added oil bit by bit throughout the process to aid in caramelization of all ingredients.

Place quartered sprouts into pan and coat liberally with oil of your choice, with heat on medium. Stir to coat them evenly, then place lid onto pan and ignore for a few minutes. Every now and then go check them, give them a quick stir and re-cover.

Once the sprouts begin to brown and the leaves begin to soften and turn bright green, add in your mushrooms. Once again, stir to coat evenly, then cover the pan and ignore for a bit, stirring occasionally.

Once the mushrooms have softened and started to brown, throw in your tomatoes and stir around to mix thoroughly. Allow them to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Here is what it should look like:

I may have stolen a quick nibble of a sprout at this point.

Once everything is in the pan and well cooked, that's when I like to season it. Liberally douse it with fresh sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic. Stir to coat evenly.

You will notice the yummy brown bits of caramelized goodness have stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is where all the flavour it, so lets not waste it! To finish, add in a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and while you stir it in, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up those bits. Once it has heated up again (about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes), remove from heat. 

Place into a cute Williams-Sonoma bowl and take a couple gratuitous pictures:

Take two pictures because you know they will both turn out crappy since your phone camera isn't super awesome!

Also, take a few bites because between the look and the smell, you won't be able to resist a nibble =)

I paired this with chicken, but I think I would have liked it better with a tasty steak. It has a nicely rich flavour thanks to the caramelization.