There is no doubt that Brussels Sprouts are a love it or hate it vegetable. My whole life, I heard people talk about how disgusting they were and jokes about moms making their kids eat them. I was never one of those kids. I’m not sure there was ever a Brussels Sprout in our house growing up. And if there was, mom spared us from them. But as an adult who had reached her thirties, I finally gave in to trying them when some of my co-workers couldn’t stop raving about them. I’ll admit I was nervous. I don’t like cabbage, and they are basically mini-cabbages, right?? Ugh. But I followed the co-workers’ roasting instructions precisely and I was pleasantly surprised. I tried again another time, didn’t cook them long enough, and was not has pleased. However, it made me realize that it’s all about how you cook them.
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 large shallot, minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled or chopped
- 4 dozen Brussels sprouts
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until browned and slightly crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Once cooled, crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, combine the lemon and orange juice into a large bowl with the shallots. Pour the oil into the bowl in a steady stream, whisking to form an emulsion (this can also be done in a blender or food processor if you don’t want to whisk by hand). Season generously with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Trim the ends off of the Brussels sprouts and use a mandoline (or the nifty slicer attachment for your food processor!) to shave the Brussels sprouts into thin slices to make a shredded/slaw texture.
- Add ¾ of the cheese and bacon to the shredded Brussels sprouts and toss to combine.
- Just before serving, toss with the dressing and sprinkle remaining cheese and bacon over the top. Can be refrigerated for a couple of days, if there are leftovers.
This looks excellent. I love that they are raw, I need to try this!
I love me some brussels sprouts…. and shallots and bacon, too!
(hahaha – great minds….)