brussel sprouts with cashews and parmesan

Brussels Sprouts with Cashews and Parmesan
Ingredients:

3 or 4 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts
1 cup raw cashews
Hard cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged Gouda, etc)—enough to yield 1/2 cup grated
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons allspice or pumpkin pie spice mix (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions:
Grate the cheese. The sprouts should be dry, so if you washed them, dry them completely with paper towels. Cut off the stem ends and make them into quarter-inch slices. (Don't worry if some of them fall apart and you have loose bits—the goal is to give the vegetables a lot of surface area.)

Heat one-half of the oil to medium heat and throw in the cashews. Fry until nicely browned, turning constantly to avoid burning (perhaps three minutes). Scoop the cashews out into the heatproof bowl. (Make sure you get all the pieces of nut, or they will burn in the pan and ruin the flavor.) Leave some of the nut-flavored oil in the pan. Add the cheese to the hot cashews and stir quickly. Set the nut mixture aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and increase the heat to high. Before the oil starts to burn, toss in the Brussels sprouts. You want to cook them quickly, turning several times to lightly brown the cut surfaces, until they are softened slightly and a bit brightened in color. They should release a nutty aroma. You don't want them to start cooking down and releasing a lot of liquid. On my stove this took three minutes or so, but your stove may vary. Add the allspice and red pepper flakes about halfway through cooking. Add the cashew/cheese mixture and mix. Add salt to taste. (I threw in only a small amount, perhaps a quarter teaspoon.) Serve immediately.
From Paul R. Potts.