Brussels Sprout Salad with Caramelized Pecans and Roasted Pepper

An inspiring recipe for a bright crunchy salad speckled with sweet and salty tastes. Gone are the days of uninspiring preparation of a nearly forgotten vegetable. I prefer to buy fresh ones, frozen tend to result in a dreary appearance with an army-brown color.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb (450 g) Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup (60 g) pecans or walnuts left whole or halved
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup (60 g) feta cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup (80 g) roughly chopped good quality canned roasted red pepper
• 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 lb (450 g) Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup (60 g) pecans or walnuts left whole or halved
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup (60 g) feta cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup (80 g) roughly chopped good quality canned roasted red pepper
• 2 Tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Wash and remove any blemished leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Cut off the brown ends. Slice them in half lengthwise. Bring water to a boil in a steamer. Add salt. Steam Brussels sprouts for about 5 minutes or until tender. Quickly remove sprouts from the steamer and plunge them into ice water to arrest cooking. Let them cool off on kitchen towels.

In the meantime, place pecans and sugar in a small frying pan over medium heat. When the sugar starts melting, toss pecans with a wooden spoon to coat them on all sides. Try to keep them apart as they will tend to clump together during caramelization. Let them cool. Place cooled sprouts, cubed feta cheese, caramelized pecans and the chopped roast pepper in a bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix everything gently, in order not to break the feta cheese too much.