OK. Let’s get the full disclosure out of the way.
I have a big problem with some brassicas.
Put a plate of kale (or mustard greens or turnips or Brussels sprouts) in front of me and the color drains from my face.
I’m not proud of this, particularly because brassicas are healthy nutritional powerhouses. (In my defense, I do enjoy cauliflower and broccoli.)
It’s not that I haven’t tried to love brassicas. I really have. In fact, I keep getting roped into that “but you haven’t enjoyed it prepared this way” trap. Over and over and over.
And so it was with great trepidation, that I tried Hetty McKinnon’s Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Caesar Dressing.
But…I kept reminding myself…this was a Hetty Mckinnon recipe. Hetty has never let me down with a recipe. (Here are two McKinnon recipes I’ve posted before on Blue Cayenne: Fennel and Cannelini Bean Salad and Cauliflower With Fried Lentils and Spinach Yogurt.)
And…drumroll…I loved it!
Maybe it was the shaving of the Brussels sprouts that got me through the ordeal dish. How bad can it be to taste a thinly-sliced Brussels sprout after all? Or, maybe it was the wonderful garlicky Caesar dressing–a dressing so good that anyone could enjoy dipping anything into it. (No anchovies lost their lives in this dressing, by the way.)
Whatever the reason, this is an outstanding salad.
Outstanding.
Who knew I could love brussels sprouts?
Now, bring on the kale. Or, not.
Shaved Brussels Sprout Caesar
Ingredients
- Caesar Dressing
- 6 garlic cloves (unpeeled) plus 1/2 garlic clove (very finely chopped)
- 1 C. whole egg mayonnaise
- 1/3 C. sour cream
- 1 T. salted capers (rinsed and chopped)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3-4 t. water
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Salad
- 1/2 pound stale bread (torn into 1-inch chunks)
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts (trimmed)
- 1 1/2 15 oz. cans of borlotti beans (almost 2 cups--drained)
- 1/2 small red onion (very thinly sliced)
- 1/2 C. flat-leaf parsley leaves (chopped)
- 1/2 C. basil leaves (roughly torn)
- 1/2 C. sunflower seeds (toasted)
- 1/4 C. parmesan (shaved)
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 raw garlic clove (finely chopped) (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare bread and coat with olive oil and spinkle with salt. Spead bread out on a large baking tray in a single layer and bake in a 400 degree F. preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until bread is golden. Turn bread several times while baking. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2 To make the Caesar dressing, bake garlic cloves in 400 degree F. oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cloves are very soft. When garlic cloves are baked, remove from oven and peel off papery skins. Put baked cloves into a medium bowl and mash . Add mayonnaise, sour cream, capers, lemon juice and 3-4 t. water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and optional 1/2 chopped fresh garlic clove.
- Step 3 Shave Brussels sprouts in your food processor (or with a mandoline).
- Step 4 Combine shaved Brussels sprouts with borlotti beans, red onion, herbs and half of the roasted sunflower seeds. Add the Caesar dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir. Let salad sit for 15-20 minutes for the flavors to marry.
- Step 5 Serve salad with croutons and parmesan shavings. Sprinkle with remaining sunflower seeds.
- Step 6 Wow!
You can buy Hetty McKinnon’s book Neighborhood here.
