- Merrill
A few weeks ago while having dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Stone Park Cafe, my husband and I shared one of those rare and wonderful dishes that grabs hold of your taste buds and doesn't let go. It was simplicity itself: delicately shaved raw Brussels sprouts with wisps of red onion, a light, lemony dressing spiked generously with whole grain mustard, and a generous hit of tangy Pecorino. I immediately declared that I would try and replicate it at home, and this was met with great enthusiasm by my husband.
It pains me to admit that with my first attempt I couldn't resist the urge to take an ill-advised shortcut. The salad wasn't the only thing on the menu that night, and I was feeling a little harried, so instead of doing what I should have done and using a mandoline to shave the sprouts into perfect, dainty shards, I instead dumped the them into the food processor and pulsed until they resembled coarse green sawdust. Mistake.
Although I had taken the time to fiddle with the dressing, adding some honey to soften the acid from the lemon and mustard, and had soaked my onion slices in water to soften their sting, the texture of the resulting salad was all wrong. It felt a little like chewing on mulch -- tasty mulch, but mulch nonetheless.
The second time around, I took the extra few minutes to shave the sprouts properly, one at a time, using a mandoline. Yes, it takes a little longer -- and I wouldn't recommend making this salad for more than six people. But it's so worth it. I'd serve this as a first course, with a nice, crisp white like Gruner Veltliner.
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Red Onion, Lemon and Pecorino
Serves 6
- 1/2 small red onion
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups Brussels sprouts (use larger sprouts if possible)
- 1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano
I made this for Thanksgiving, 2010, and everyone raved about it. I am so grateful I discovered this recipe.
Now, what can I "wow" and surprise people with this year?
Can not wait to make this for my church group for fasting dinner, hope they like it, better yet, I hope that I like it!
I am completely addicted. I will never eat Brussels sprouts any other way. I did make one substitution that was interesting. I replaced the honey with a few spoonfuls of spicy apple butter (I have vats and I am trying to use it up). I enjoyed the autumn undertones.
I made this to take to a friend's for dinner Saturday night and all four of us dislike brussel sprouts to some degree and none of us had eaten them raw before. It played to rave reviews, so kudos on this one!
The salad sounds great, especially since a raw sprout will never take on the sulfurous taste an overcooked sprout does.
To cb1984 and others wary of their fingertips (and skeptical about the efficacy of the guard with their Benriner). one of my students wears an oven mitt. I guess it works, as long as you're careful not to shred the mitt too.
I'm so excited to see this recipe! I just had a similar salad at Michael Chiarello's Bottega in Napa, but he serves it with marcona almonds and sieved egg rather than red onion. Quite delicious!
Another variation on this theme: the warm salad of shaved Brussels sprouts, little diced bits of locally-cured ham, halved red grapes, tossed in a cider vinaigrette and garnished with a lovely curving slice of ricotta salata. We eat this salad all fall/winter long at Passionfish in Pacific Grove CA. The sprouts are grown right around here and are so fresh and delicious and sweet...
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYum, yum, yum.
Question - hope this isn't too idiotic, but why can't I save your recipes or Amanda's? I'm helplessly in search of the "save" button.
Great question, PFossil! I was wondering the same thing. Seems to me I've seen a "save" button somewhere here, but if there is, where do you go to FIND the saved items! :((
Help, please!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoNot idiotic at all! You can save our recipes once they appear in the recipe database -- usually a few days after our blog entries are posted. Sorry, we're working on a better solution! And MadeInMaine, you go to your profile page to see your saved recipes.
was great, very tasty with some grilled salmon, rosti potatoes dinner
Thanks for the recipe, Merrill! We made this for a late lunch/light dinner a couple days ago and paired it with thin slices of good salami. A few brussels sprouts go a long way for two or three people here. We used our light weight, cheaper mandoline and it was easy....
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoSo glad you liked it!
I just made this...awesome! The grated cheese makes it very satisfying, though I used grana padano because that's what I had in the fridge.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoSounds like a perfect substitution to me!
Stone Park rocks! Love to go when I am home in Brooklyn....this recipe looks amazing- Brussels sprouts are so much better when shredded or even when you pull the leaves apart then saute them. Am definitely going to try this one! Thanks!! :)
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou're welcome!
Reminds me of this salad...http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/brussels-sprout-salad-recipe.html which is one of my favorites. I haven't tried her suggested variation with sharp cheddar and apples but it also sounds great.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoLooks delicious!
You read my mind--I had this salad there on Friday night and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since! I have a big bag of Brussels Sprouts in the refrigerator and am definitely going to give this recipe a go. Thank you!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoWhat a great coincidence -- so glad someone else got to experience the goodness!
Oh, how I love raw Brussels sprouts! Thanks for this recipe, Merrill! FYI, it does work pretty well with the slicing blade of the Cuisinart. Probably not as thinly shaved as you'd get with a mandoline, but pretty darn close. Here's a photo of mine done with Cuisinart: http://www.food52.com/recipes/1710_brussels_sprout_salad_take_2
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoWow, beautiful!
Merrill - Wondering why you didn't use the mandoline to slice the onion? It would give very thin slices, but maybe I am missing some key culinary info?! Thank you for taking the time to recreate something you enjoyed at a restaurant - it allows us non-New Yorkers to get a taste of what's happening in NYC's food world. Can't wait to try this - LOVE Brussels sprouts!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoGreat idea! I think maybe I take perverse pleasure in seeing how thinly I can slice an onion by hand. But there's no reason not to use the mandoline!
Yay, a great new thing to do with the brussel sprouts in the fridge. Looks so good! Have hated brussel sprouts since forever until had them roasted in duck fat last year. This looks like yet another way to enjoy a new love!
ABSOLUTELY LOVE this recipe. Thank you thank you!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoSo glad!
Can you use a Vitamix to wet chop the brussels sprouts? I don't have a mandoline. Looks great.
This looks brilliant and delicious, and will be an excellent way of fooling the kids into eating the always dreaded BRUSSELS SPROUTS. Thanks - S
The blade of the food processor is not so good, but I wonder: do you think it would work with the food processor's slicing disk?
I was wondering the same thing ...
I've never been a fan of the sprout, but am going to give this a go. Looks delish!
Technically challenged, I'm wondering if I am missing a printable version of this recipe?
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou can print this page using the little printer icon below the slideshow. We haven't gotten it into the database yet -- takes a few days for us to catch up!
Thanks for this, Lizthechef - I was feeling really dumb (and I want to make this for dinner)
This looks awesome. Sadly, I just moved and I think my mandoline is back with my parents. I'll have to either find a way to improvise or be patient, which I find hard to do with Brussel sprouts recipes.
A Benringer is a cheap type of mandoline...I seldom lug out my gorgeous stainless steel monster of a mandoline anymore since I got one!
My hand-held OXO mandoline that I got as a finalist is easy to use and allowed me to conquer my mandoline phobia.
Thanks! I have an OXO one, which is now in my parent's attic. I may just have to have them send it to me, or figure out something else. I should have added that Merrill's advice on using the guard is good. About a month ago, I totally scratched up my fingertips, cutting up an apple... Whoops.
The brussels sprouts salad at Frankie's (recipe is in their book) was similarly captivating -- a must-try, and I immediately set out to replicate it. Sadly, I failed. First, I think I didn't slice the sprouts thinly enough (I did it by hand). Second, I couldn't find the castelrosso cheese that they use, and my substitute was lacking in tang. Mustard would have been a good remedy, I think. Looking forward to trying your version!
After being a lifelong hater of BS (brussel sprouts) I converted after trying them flash cooked , like the one I posted last year or this one with no cooking at all. The crispness of the sprouts and the other ingredients makes this dish healthy and delicious.
I have made something similar, trying to re-create a dish I had at Barbuta, in the west village. I blanch the brussel sprouts first, I do use the cuisinart, (the insert with the three long banana shaped holes) and I also add pinenuts and a smattering of good bacon.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoI was tempted to blanch the sprouts initially and might try it that way to compare.
Here is the new side dish I have searched for to add to our Thanksgiving meal. I always like a salad to lighten up the heavy array of traditional dishes. Thanks, Merrill!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoYou're welcome!
Yay - now I have the salad for a birthday dinner Saturday night!!!
This looks great! I'm sure the red onion brings out good flavor without being too sharp! I should try this soon!
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoThanks! Yes, the onion is nice and subtle.
Sounds delicious! I'm thinking it might also work with a light remoulade.
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
added about 1 year agoGood idea!
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