It's the eve of Thanksgiving in 2017, and the house is quietly humming with sounds of tapping fingers and the low whir of the convection oven. Tomorrow we'll be saturated with the smells of turkey roasting; today, it's the irresistible subtlety of pies baking.

Perhaps you've got family traditional dishes. Perhaps, too, you like to mix it up each year. I've never been a fan of Brussels sprouts, relegating them in my mind to the trash heap of overcooked cruciferous vegetables that reek unpleasantly of sulphur.

And then I met these.

Cut in half, tossed simply with olive oil and salt and pepper, and topped with pancetta (it crisps up amazingly), and run in a hot oven . . . YUM.

Brussels Sprouts: serves 3 (maybe. Unless one is me. Then maybe it serves one.)

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 2 TBS olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 oz pancetta or bacon (or porcini mushrooms, if you're vegan!)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 or 400.
2. Cut sprouts in half, then toss with olive oil. Layer them in a single layer (kind of anyway) in a baking dish (9x13 works well), then toss with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Sprinkle pancetta over the top.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the sprouts are beginning to brown and smell amazing and the pancetta is crispy  . . .

Have the most amazingly grateful Thanksgiving. Thank you for spending part of it with me.