The Weirdest Salad I Ever Loved ...

Up til just a few years ago, you couldn't pay me to put a Brussels sprout in my mouth. No offense to my Mom, but she'd ruined the little cabbage for me. Her one and only method of preparation was to boil the heck out of the poor things until they resembled khaki bits of Army fatigues and serve them plain as can be with a pat of margarine and some salt and pepper. She also always bought the biggest (and thus more bitter) sprouts she could get. Why, I'll never know. Consequently, this little vegetable made it real fast to my shortlist of BLECCH!

It was SB who turned my attitude around. Oh, and Yotam Ottolenghi. SB showed me how to roast Brussels sprouts. YO showed me how to dress them up all pretty and sweet.



After all the lamb for Easter, I was thinking that a simple roasted chicken and some good vegetables would be a perfect mid-week meal. Yesterday, I experimented with this warm salad from Ottolenghi's cookbook called PLENTY MORE.

There were pomelos on the clearance table at the market, so I picked one up along with a small bag of Brussels sprouts and made the most interesting roasted veg salad. So, here you go ... blanched and refreshed Brussels sprouts and shallots. Toss them with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and roast them (uncovered) in a single layer in a hot oven (425 degrees F) until they become a bit golden and crisped (about 25 minutes). Remove them and let them cool just a bit.

Meanwhile, make a simple syrup infused with cinnamon sticks and star anise. Peel and break up a large pomelo, making sure to remove the bitter white pith and the section walls. Pour the cooled simple syrup over top and stir every so often for the time it takes to prep and roast the vegetables.

 Drain the juices off the pomelo, remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Gently toss the warm veg with the cool fruit. Add a bit more lemon juice, some of the simple syrup juices, a bit more salt and pepper and serve with a simple roasted chicken . You can find the full recipe on page 170 of PLENTY MORE.

The weirdest salad I ever came to love! Honestly!