Brussels Sprouts Salad...with lemon and toasted walnuts.

Brussels Sprouts Salad...with lemon and toasted walnuts.

.......Merry Christmas to all my readers! It has been such an honor to have you visit my site. Thank you for trying some of my recipes, for your feedback, and for your encouragement throughout this year. I LOVED sharing my recipes with you...and you've all been such a blessing to me! Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas.....

We've been having brussels sprouts quite a bit lately... love brussels sprouts. Ok, I probably wouldn't have said that years ago... I suppose the memory of trying out brussels sprouts for the very first time at a gathering some years ago wasn't exactly a pleasant one. Don't quite remember how those brussels sprouts were prepared, but I distinctly remember not being a fan of them. So I never bothered buying them. Never really looked at them when they would show up in the markets... come winter.

Recently though, I decided to give them a chance.... and to think what I missed out all these years! I don't know why I didn't care for them the first time... because funny thing is, I like cabbage. And brussels sprouts are quite similar to cabbage... just a smaller version and a bit more mild in flavor. Anyway, so we've been eating brussels sprouts lately... maybe once a week or so. I'll make it as a side or even as a meal. I've been able to roast the sprouts or pan fry them... Brussels sprouts are known to work incredibly well with bacon, pancetta, or even crumbled chorizo sausage... add a bit of shallots, and well, it makes it a complete meal (for us anyway). But even a light mustard sauce adds an enormous amount of flavor to steamed sprouts. So while I like cooking the sprouts, I especially love having them fresh... in a salad.

I came across Saveur's version of a Brussels Sprouts Salad, and knew instantly I wanted to make it. It sounded so fresh and light...and lemony. The lemon just brightens any dish, really. I was excited to see the dish used simple ingredients, most of which I already had in the house. Made it the same day and absolutely loved it... maybe it's because I love anything lemon:). But it's a great side dish... wonderful addition to the Christmas dinner, or any meal for that matter. Hope you enjoy...

Note: Since I didn't have any pecorino cheese, I substituted it with some parmigiano reggiano cheese. And while the original recipe uses 2 whole cups of toasted walnuts, I felt you could easily use less...therefore the range in the amount I posted below.

Tip: Feel free to use other nuts besides the walnuts... pecans would be good, as well as almonds. Maybe even pine nuts.. though I would use less of the pine nuts.

To make it especially Christmas-y, I'm thinking you can add some pomegranate arils or even some cranberries... why not:).

The juice of a lemon can vary from lemon to lemon... you may need to add a bit more or a bit less.

You will need: adapted from Saveur . Makes about 4 servings... or a bit less if eating it as a meal.

1 lb. brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1-2 cups toasted walnut halves

1⁄3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano(or pecorino as per original recipe)

, plus more for garnish

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:

1.

Toast walnuts ( or other nuts of choice). Set aside.

2. Wash and clean sprouts. Slice stem off(only if using a food processor).

3.

Process brussels sprouts in a f

ood processor...u

se a slicing

disc on the lowest setting(1mm).

Add the sprouts through the feeding tube... a few at a time.( My version, and so much easier)

OR

Use a mandoline to slice the brussels sprouts... hold the sprout

by its stem

with

thumb and forefinger

and slice

starting from each sprout's top. Discard stems. (Saveur's version...only if you have a mandoline)

4. Add walnuts, cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste.

Season lightly with salt to taste.... Salt amount depends

on the saltiness of the cheese.

5. Toss ingredients with a spoon until just combined. You can make a large salad or opt to make separate salad bowls.

6. Using a peeler, shave more cheese over the top of the salad.... or individual salad bowls.

7. Drizzle with more olive oil and add more pepper to taste.