RECIPE: Brussels Sprout Salad

August 21, 2015

RECIPE: Brussels Sprout Salad

Did you know that Brussels sprouts were named after Brussels, Belgium where they were first cultivated? Yep. I had to google it. Many people say they hate Brussels sprouts or refuse to even try them. This dish may just convert or recruit them to sprout lovers. If you’re feeding it to picky eaters, I suggest you just call it “lemon cranberry slaw”, or something else innocuous, until they’ve given it an objective try. This sprout salad is another dish that is an excellent choice for a potluck, party or barbecue. Instead of a mayonnaise based dressing I adapted Martha Stewart’s Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette. This salad is easy to make and just as easy to make a large batch as a small one. It gets even better after a few days, so you can make it ahead and have one less thing to do on the day of your gathering. The recipe can easily be halved if you don’t need to feed a crowd. The first time I made it I shaved a gazillion sprouts one-by-one on my mandoline. While I prefer the shaved version, it is a lot of work. This food processor method is much quicker and easier.

Brussels Sprout Salad

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved
5-10 green onions, green and white parts
1 med size bunch cilantro, leaves and stems
2 large lemons, juice & zest
4T Dijon mustard
2T rice vinegar (plain, not “seasoned”)
2 large cloves garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1T sugar, additional to taste
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
Salt & pepper to taste

Some notes before we get started:

BRUSSELS SPROUTS: Choose sprouts that look pretty uniformly green without a lot of yellow leaves or black spots. Trim the stem end if it looks a bit dry. If you will be shaving them instead of chopping, look for the largest & tightest sprouts you can find to make the shaving a little easier. If the sprouts don’t look good when you’re ready to make this salad you could substitute cauliflower, broccoli florets & peeled stems, broccolini, asparagus tips & peeled stems, or even bagged pre-cut coleslaw mix. (The “angel hair” shaved variety of coleslaw mix would be my first choice.)

GREEN ONIONS: I like a lot of onion in my salads. Normally, I would put several green onions in the blended dressing and add some diced red onion directly to the salad, but I didn’t have a red onion handy when I made it this time.

CILANTRO: I like cilantro so I use a lot. If you don’t like cilantro you could substitute a big handful of parsley or even a handful of mint leaves.

DRIED CRANBERRIES: I have only used cranberries in this salad so far, but I have been thinking about some alternative dried fruits that would also work well. Dried apricots (diced), cherries or raisins seem like some good alternatives. Maybe even drained canned crushed pineapple or mandarin orange segments?

PINE NUTS: While pine nuts are my favorite choice for this salad, they can be hard to find and/or very expensive. You could really use almost any nut or seed that you prefer. Preferably toasted, and chopped if needed. If you are making the salad ahead you may want to wait and add the nuts just before serving to ensure their crispness. I go ahead and add the nuts at the beginning and then often sprinkle some more fresh pine nuts on the salad when serving.

Okay, now on to the method:

1. Pulse halved Brussels sprouts in batches in food processor until uniformly chopped. Add to a large salad bowl for mixing.

2. You can make the lemon Dijon dressing in the unwashed processor or in a blender. Roughly chop 4 of the green onions and the cilantro (leaves & stems), add to processor bowl or blender, and pulse several times to chop. Add lemon juice & zest, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, whole peeled garlic cloves, olive oil and 1T sugar. Process or blend until fairly smooth with no big chunks. Pour over chopped sprouts in salad bowl.

3. Thinly slice the rest of your green onions and add to salad bowl.

4. Add dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts. Mix.

5. Add salt, pepper and additional sugar to taste.

6. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

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Colleen Houck

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RECIPE: Brussels Sprout Salad

August 21, 2015

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Colleen Houck