If you’re like me, you’ve been hitting up the comfort foods lately. How about a warm brussels sprout salad to lighten things up a bit?
This salad is taking me back to Florida, our last vacation which seems like ages ago at this point. It was one of our Disney trips, and we snuck it in just before anyone realized what was actually happening. Damn lucky we did get in and out when we did!
On the last day we were down there before it was time to head to the airport, Mom and I snuck over to Disney Springs and Jaleo for a quick tapas lunch. And it was just so everything we wanted it to be!
Back when I lived in Chicago, tapas were our understood go-to whenever Mom was in town, and now that I don’t often have a chance to eat my favorite little Spanish bites, we jumped at the chance to do so. We ordered a warm brussels sprout salad that really defied all expectations!
The best thing about this salad was that it wasn’t like your traditional brussels sprout salad- the leaves of the sprouts were still intact! Often when I’ve seen any other variety, the sprouts are shaved and mixed, but the leafiness of this one was indeed noteworthy. The cold leaves were tossed with apricots, apples, grapes and serrano ham and dressed in a slightly warm sherry vinaigrette. A salad with a plethora of toppings- my favorite.
BUT, these are quarantine times, and my pantry was not as stocked with necessary ingredients to recreate it as I thought. I lacked the dried apricots, grapes and the store didn’t’ have any serrano ham, so I did what I could with some bacon and Marcona almonds in their places. A completely different salad, but a fine one nonetheless!
So here we are, quarantine. Eat your veggies.
Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
This Spanish-inspired warm brussels sprouts salad has apples for sweet, Marcona almonds for crunch and a warm bacon vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 24 fresh brussels sprouts
- 1 medium apple, diced
- 1/4 cup Marcona almonds
- 2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 TB olive oil
- 4 TB citrus vinegar
- 1 TB Dijon mustard
- 2 slices bacon, diced, cooked and fat rendered
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Bring a deep saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the brussels sprouts and cook about 6 minutes until just tender. Drain and run cool water over them to quickly cool.
- Step 2 While the sprouts cook, make the dressing. Add the oil, vinegar, and mustard to a small skillet over medium heat and cook until just warm. Add the bacon. Turn the heat to low while you assemble the salad- don’t let it boil.
- Step 3 Prepare the brussels sprouts by slicing the ends off each, and peeling the outer leaves off each, placing them in on a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining sprouts and reserving the center cabbage parts for another use. To the sprouts, add the apples, almonds and parsley and drizzle with the warm dressing. Toss to coat and serve!
