Main Ingredients:
1 lb brussels sprouts
3 tbs Buon Gusto Buena Ventura extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 scallions, roots trimmed
1 tsp water or leftover white wine
salt & pepper to taste
Suggested Toppings:
1.5 oz pecorino romano cheese, thick sliced and broken up into large-ish chunks
1/3 cup dates, pitted and torn into pieces
2 sweet-hot pickled red peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped (optional)
1) Trim the stems off the brussels sprouts and cut them top-to-bottom in to 1/8” slices.
2) Separate the green and white parts of the green onions. Finely mince the white parts, and thinly slice the green parts.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together the minced white parts of the onion with the mustard, honey, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in 2 tbs of the olive oil to finish the vinaigrette. Taste it and adjust the salt or lemon juice as needed. It should be bright and tangy but not puckering.
4) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 tbs of the olive oil. Let heat, but not smoke (the oil should move freely and be pleasantly fragrant), then add all the sliced brussels sprouts with a pinch of salt. Stir to evenly coat with oil.
5) Let the brussels sit in the skillet for about 1 minute—you want to get some nicely browned bits—then scrape and toss them all again. Let sit for another minute then scrape them up again. Repeat the scraping and waiting for one minute twice more.
6) Add the water to the skillet and toss the brussels for about one minute until the water/wine evaporates then the slices are crisp-tender. This recipe tastes best if there are bits that are borderline raw and other bits that are almost burnt.
7) Add the cooked slices to the vinaigrette and stir to coat them evenly.
8) Wait about five minutes for them to cool a bit, then add the cheese, dates, peppers, almonds (if using). If you add the cheese too early, it will melt. Also, don’t worry about making these toppings finely cut up. Decent sized, uneven chunks are better for the flavor and texture of the salad!
*Note: You can use almost any nut and/or hard cheese for the toppings. Or omit the cheese for a vegan version!