Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad is my new favourite! Sweet, bright, tender-crisp little leaves of this tiny vegetable, quickly steam-sautéed and napped in a light, tangy/creamy dressing make for a delightful side dish to any type of meal. A surprisingly tasty new way to enjoy brussels sprouts. (Skip to recipe.)

What vegetable wins hands down for the cuteness factor?

My vote definitely goes to the oft-maligned brussels sprout! Not only is it an adorable little mini-version of a full blown cabbage, but it is loaded with nutrients and it has a delicious sweet taste. When properly cooked - as in not overcooked to the point it releases all its  cruciferous sulfur compounds and becomes mushy, cabbage-y, and bitter - the humble brussels sprout is deliciously sweet and crunchy-tender. It's a game changer.

And it's a healthy way to eat more vegetables. These little flavour bombs are an amazing health-promoting vegetable. Brussels sprouts are low in calories and super high on the antioxidant list, plus loaded with fiber, vitamin K, and vitamin C. Eating a serving of Warm Brussels Sprout Salad is like taking a vitamin supplement tablet with your meal. Plus, if you cook them right, they are sweet, crispy, and deeeeeeeeeeelicious!

Teeny Tiny Cute Little Cabbages

Steam-sautéed til Bright Green, Sweet, Tender & Crisp

Then Napped with a Light & Tangy Dressing While Still Warm

Yum! Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

The creamy dressing takes no time to stir together, and the sprouts are cooked in just a few minutes. The only part of this recipe that takes a bit of time is separating the brussels sprouts into leaves, but you can do that ahead of time, and keep the trimmed leaves and bits in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (with a folded paper towel inside to absorb excess moisture). You can make the dressing ahead too, and then it takes mere minutes to toss this dish together on a busy night.

If you grew up having to eat overcooked, brownish-green, mushy marbles called brussels sprouts, you will be won over by this crunchy warm Brussels Sprout Salad. Just forget about those nasty old memories and think of it as discovering a whole new vegetable to love!

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: Make the light dressing ahead (even the day before) so it has time to thicken up a bit. I like to make a quadruple amount of dressing and keep it in the fridge for up to a month as a light creamy homemade salad sauce to dress any kinds of fresh green salads. This creamy dressing is an adaptation of a delicious Swiss Salad Cream recipe sent to me by a reader (Thanks, Fanika!)

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

For the Salad Sauce:

• ¼ cup (60ml) good quality mayonnaise
• ¼ cup (60ml) milk
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

For the Warm Brussels Sprout Salad:

• 1 lb. (454 grams) brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ cup water

Whisk together the ingredients for the Salad Sauce and allow them to rest for ½ hour to give the vinegar time to thicken up the milk to a creamy consistency.

While the dressing is resting, prepare the brussels sprouts. Cut off and discard a thin slice from the bottom of each sprout and trim off and discard any blemished or discoloured leaves. Leave any good leaves on the outside, as the darkest green leaves contain the most antioxidants. Once the sprouts are all trimmed, separate them into leaves. To do so, cut a slice off the bottom of the sprout to separate where the outside leaves connect to the core and gently pull off as many leaves as have been disconnected. Then cut another slice, and remove any loosened outside leaves. Continue cutting a slice off the bottom and removing the loosened leaves until the center of the sprout is about as small as a hazelnut. Cut that remaining center bit into halves or quarters. Don't discard all the little flower-shaped slices you've cut off the bottom, but add them to the pile of leaves to use in your salad.

Heat the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add all the brussels sprout leaves and trimmings to the skillet along with the water. Cover the skillet and steam the brussels sprouts for 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover the skillet and cook-and-stir the sprout leaves for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the water all evaporates and the leaves are bright green and tender-crisp.

Transfer the warm brussels sprout leaves to a shallow bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Toss lightly to coat and serve warm. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and reheated to serve.

Serves 4.

Guten Appetit!

 

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