Raw Brussels Sprouts with Lemon, Anchovy, Hazelnuts, and Pecorino: Brussels Sprout Ceasar Salad!

Joshua McFadden clambered down the steps to the yurt, wearing a bright yellow hat emblazoned with the name of his restaurant, Ava Gene’s. He was wearing Birkenstocks with socks and a checkered shirt. He came all the way from Portland to be here in our little kitchen in Bonny Doon, and we’re so glad he did. As we were almost the last stop on his book tour, he was pretty tired of the road, but he obliged us, and made the salad deftly. checking the recipe in the book he wrote every once in a while. “Did I really only call for half a lemon? Can I get another half?” We watched him make a raw Brussels sprout Caesar salad, his hands moving so fast that it was hard to get a picture of every step as he chopped sprouts, mashed filleted anchovies to a paste, seasoned and salted, at home in the kitchen. He did everything in reverse order that it is described in his cookbook, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. But the results were amazing nonetheless. We talked about the forest fires burning to the north and south of us, and wild places we love, and the best place to eat in airports around the Pacific Northwest, and whether to take the coast roads or the ridge roads when traveling north from Santa Cruz.

We ate the salad. It was delicious, with an extra squeeze of lemon.
Thanks, Joshua. Come back and see us again soon. We’ll do dessert.

Directions

Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts if they look dry. Cut each sprout in half lengthwise through the core, then cut in half.
Place the cut side down, on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, slice the Brussels sprouts into the thinnest ribbons you can manage, cutting from the core to the top. Alternatively, use a mandoline, for a fine, feathery shave. Don’t worry about making all the slices the same thickness, but do try to get them thin as can be, whichever method you use.

Pile the sliced sprouts in a large bowl.

Chop the anchovies very fine and smear them into a paste.Chop the smashed garlic as fine as you can, and add to the anchovy paste. Put this in a smaller bowl, and drizzle with olive oil.  Squeeze half a lemon over the mixture and set aside.

Squeeze another lemon half over the Brussels sprouts; toss to coat.
Add the anchovy garlic lemon mixture to the sprouts, and mix well with hands, or a wooden spoon.

Add the hazelnuts and breadcrumbs, tossing to coat lightly.

Top with a fine coating of shaved Pecorino.

 

Over to You

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