Most of us think of brussels sprouts as a decidedly fall and winter food. But in our CSA share last year, we got bright green brussels sprouts all July and August. Why don't we normally eat them in the summer?
Well, this dish might be our late summer fling. We had an amazing salad at a restaurant last night in Chicago—raw, shaved sprouts, thinly sliced fennel, parmesan, herbs, and a mustardy vinaigrette.
Because we were with a work colleague who doesn't know us very well, we resisted the urge to pick up the bowl and lick it. But we immediately went looking for recipes.
The key to the salad we're craving is very fresh, very well-shredded brussels sprouts. The end result is like a slaw, which means we'd probably shave our sprouts on a mandoline. The ratio of sprouts to fennel was definitely not 1:1; it was definitely a sprouts-heavy flavor.
But the shavings of parmesan in the mix were unexpected and delicious, and the vinaigrette was robust without overwhelming the vegetables.
None of the recipes below are exactly what we're looking for. We're not interested in nuts, for example. But several have elements that sound familiar—mustard seeds, pecorino, parmesan... We'll experiment and get back to you.
Recipes:
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Fresh Walnuts and Pecorino, from Gourmet (above)
• Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Mustard Seeds, from Body and Soul
• Brussels Sprouts Salad, from 101 Cookbooks
• Stolen Salad, from The Food Section
• Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds and Parmesan, from Oprah.com
Related: Tip: Core Brussels Sprouts with a Vegetable Peeler
(Image: John Kernick for Gourmet)
The real question, though, is whether you tend to like Brussels sprouts anyway. Would this salad make B.S. palatable to those of us who don't usually like them?
view Joan A.'s profile
I've had a salad like this before absolutely my favorite way to eat brussel sprouts. They're so delicious fresh that I'm not sure why anyone bothers to cook them.
Joan -- I would say yes -- even if you don't like cooked brussel sprouts, this is worth a try. It's a-whole-nother vegetable when eaten raw.
view mlleErica's profile
I saw some nice looking brussels sprouts a couple weeks ago so I thought I'd buy them anyway even though it's summertime because they're now my husband's favorite. I found the leaves tough and the flavor much more bitter than the ones we eat in November and December. I think I'll just wait. It makes them more special when you have to wait.
view pkthunder's profile
I'd imagine that raw brussel sprouts would taste quite different than cooked ones.. god knows that it makes a huge difference to fennel (which I totally don't understand how anyone eats cooked, BLECH)
view d4kk1tt3n's profile
HA! I don't understand how anyone eats fennel raw...ick!
view tomythewho's profile
Thanks, mlleErica. I'll try it.
view Joan A.'s profile
Highly recommend the 101 cookbooks recipe, but looking at all the recipies, they're all about the same, no? Shredded brussels, salty cheese, nuts, lemon juice. Hah!
view any such name's profile