Love them or hate them it's that time of the year when sprouts are aplenty! Personally, I'm a HUGE fan of the little green critters. This shaved brussels sprout salad is one way that I and Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger are loving them. Quick and simple to make and once you pair it with creamy burrata cheese, slightly sweet candied walnuts it's definitely one you will want on the table!
sponsored by Chalk Hill Wines, McLaren Vale
Why I Love This Recipe
- I'm a HUGE fan of brussels sprouts
- super simple to make
- really quick
- can be prepared in advance
- festive but suitable all year round
It's Christmas time and brussels sprouts are being cooked in every day possible. Personally, I love them and will happily eat any and all bowls thrown my way! This simple shaved brussel sprout salad is exactly that. It's ready in minutes or can all be prepared in advance, it's super healthy and boy is it delicious!
What is Burrata?
First and foremost it's cheese. That's enough right, or should I go on? It's an Italian style cheese made using mozzarella and cream. Imagine the creamiest mozzarella you have had and then double it - yep, now your talking!! The outer casing is solid cheese and the inside is where the creamy goodness lies. This is also known as stracciatella. It's made from cows milk but occasionally buffalo milk is used.
Burrata cheese is best served at room temperature and is commonly served alongside slow-roasted tomatoes, tons of olive oil and crusty bread. Adding it to my shaved brussels sprout salad is another way to enjoy this delicacy!
Candied Walnuts
These are like little golden nuggets. This recipe is SO simple and can be used with pretty much any nut, so once you have mastered it don't hold back.
All you need is 3 ingredients and a frying pan. In fact, that's all the cooking that's required for this shaved brussels sprout salad so does it get any better?
Using 75g of walnuts add 50ml of water and 2 tbsp of sugar to a frying pan. Turn on to a low-medium heat and once it's simmering chuck those walnuts in. Coat them in the sugary syrup and then pour them onto a lined baking tray to cool. Job done.
Did I mention it was easy?
The Dressing!
Another super simple component to the dish. Using ingredients that are in pretty much every cupboard, pantry or fridge we can whip up a simple dressing for our shaved brussels sprout salad.
Olive oil, lemon juice, salt, wholegrain mustard and yep, that's it! We have enough flavours in the dish from the creamy burrata and the candied walnuts that we kept the dressing nice and simple. A hit of acidity from the lemon juice and some texture from the wholegrain mustard.
Pop it in a jar and shake it up or whisk it all together. This dressing can be made in a matter of moments or in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to serve!
What Can I Serve With This Salad?
Pretty much anything! We enjoyed a version of this salad in a restaurant some while ago and we got some delicious warm crusty bread and went vegetarian! If you can't get by without some meat on your plate then you can grill some chicken (how-to below in recipe card), steak is another great option, bone-in pork chop is always, well delish!
Tips, Tricks & FAQ's
Sure can - in fact wholegrain mustard is mustard that hasn't been milled as much as dijon mustard. Dijon mustard will be spicier has the mustard seeds have been ground more than dijon so maybe add 1/2 the amount and taste before putting a load in and finding it too spicy 😉
What are those? If you have had the salad out on the table for a while and the cheese has warmed up I wouldn't recommend re-serving it the next day BUT if you feel like it's too much once you have shaved the brussels sprouts then hold some back before adding the burrata and dressing. The sprouts, walnuts & cranberries are all fine but the cheese that has been refrigerated and warmed up isn't the safest.
It won't be 100% the same but a good fresh mozzarella or boconcini will work for similar style or go crazy and get a nice creamy blue cheese. It's defo gonna have a stronger flavour but it will work really well
Shaved Sprouts Wine Pairing
This is the most important part of the blog post! If you only read this part (other than the recipe) then you have stopped scrolling at the right place. What's a meal without wine, other than breakfast 😉
Chalk hill wines are a bit of a Mclaren Vale icon, if not an Australian one! Starting back in 1839 when John Harvey first stepped foot in Adelaide and planted Grenache grapes North of Adelaide - only the 2nd person to have done so. The history and story span 180 years and 6 generations. The tasting room itself was established in 1969 where there 'chalk hill' vineyard sits and is open 7 days a week from 11am. Stunning views over the Vale, friendly staff and number of tastings including a wine and chocolate one.................... Need I say more?
For my shaved brussels sprout salad I have opted for their delicious Vermentino, one of my wife favourites! An Italian grape variety that does very well in South Australia it's light, crisp and bursting with flavour. Like most things in Italy, it's great with food.
My "not so technical review" goes something like this - It's quite a textural wine, apple & pear is what first shows along with a creaminess, a hit of salinity and some guava too. Loads of fresh acidity comes through with good length to the wine. An ice-cold glass of this, a shaved brussels sprout salad and my Sunday is complete!
Alternative Salad Recipes
Feeling the shaved brussels sprout salad vibes and need more healthy dishes in your life or just are simply a fan of salads? Check out these offerings on my website and get shredding, slicing and tossing 😉
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 500 g brussel sprouts
- 75 g walnuts
- 50 g dried cranberries
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 150 ml olive oil
- 1 burrata
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 chicken breasts
- Salt
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- mixing bowl
- BBQ or grill pan/oven
- frying pan
- weighing/measuring utensils
Instructions
- Add 50ml water and 2 tbsp sugar to a frying pan and once simmering add the walnuts, coat in the sugar syrup and then pour onto a lined baking tray to cool
- Oil and season the chicken breasts and cook on the BBQ @ 180c or in a grill pan/oven for approx. 15 minutes or until internal temp is 74c
- Cut the root from the brussel sprouts and remove any dirty outer layers. Starting at the top of the sprout slice the sprouts finely into circular pieces
- Mix the lemon, mustard & olive oil together with a pinch of salt
- Toss the sliced sprouts, cranberries & walnuts together with ½ of the dressing, taste it and adjust accordingly.
- Add the burrata and sliced grilled chicken
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- you can prepare the sprouts in the morning/afternoon for dinner time as long as they are stored in an airtight container in the fridge
- candied walnuts will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container so why not make a double batch!
- you can substitute chicken thighs, whole chicken or even serve the salad full vegetarian
i love brussels sprouts. this looks fab!