Brussels sprouts side dish with lemon, garlic, nutmeg and chives

A light and vegetarian side-dish using shredded Brussels sprouts shallowly braised in olive oil and lemon juice, with garlic and nutmeg, and topped at the end with fresh chives. Can also be used as a main and it's a nice way to catch up on your greens. 

Best served warm. Enjoy :)

Note: make sure you only use fresh sprouts to avoid the bitterness of aged ones. The little "rose cabbages" as the Germans call them are often bitter, which is usually a turn-off for the Western palates, but there are ways to avoid that. For instance, taste a little of the fresh sprouts and if they seem bitter de-core them thoroughly and boil them in water for 5 minutes, then drain them before cooking the main recipe you planned. More tips on that here. 

Ingredients (serves 2 as side, 1 as main):

• 250 g fresh Brussels sprouts
• a gurgle of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• juice from half a lemon
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 15 g (handful) of chives

Discard the darkened outer leaves of the sprouts and cut off their stalks:

Shred them by slicing (in 3-4 slices) and put them on low heat in the olive oil:

Let them cook for 5 minutes while you peel and smash the garlic. Add the garlic, salt and nutmeg to the pan, then squeeze the lemon half over it:

Mix a little, let cook for 1-2 minutes more, than arrange it on a plate. Wash and chop the chives and put them on top of the plate. It's ready, dig in!