Sunday, March 20, 2016

Shaved Sprout Salad with Figs & Hazelnuts

Shaved Sprout Salad with Figs & Hazelnuts 1

We've had a spectacular summer in my part of the world, but literally like a switch going off autumn screamed in right on the 1st of March, bringing with it cool, nippy mornings, gloomy days and chillier evenings.  After a couple of weeks of decidedly autumnal weather, however, summer returned this weekend (hopefully for a few weeks to come) with clear blue skies and loads of sunshine.

Since recently moving back to Christchurch, I have of late been enjoying reacquainting myself with the local farmers market, and yesterday was the kind of day that makes it a real joy to venture out - the sun was shining, music played, all the stalls were flat out busy, and plenty of market goers were taking the opportunity to grab something to eat and enjoy "brunch" sitting in the sunshine on the river bank.

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, we're going green and healthy, celebrating the spirit of St Patricks Day with our current IHCC guest chef, Ellie Krieger.  I had picked up some brussels sprouts at the supermarket earlier in the week, and was thinking that Ellie's recipe for Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Hazelnuts and Dried Apricots from "Weeknight Wonders" seemed like a good jumping off point.  The original recipe combines thinly shaved brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and dried apricots (probably obviously enough);  however, I was really feeling the autumnal vibe and was thinking that fresh figs would be a great complement to the brussels sprouts.  I had great hopes of finding fresh figs at the farmers market, but it seems I was a bit premature - no figs around yet.

Shaved Sprout Salad with Figs & Hazelnuts 2

I still liked the idea of incorporating figs though, so used some nice plump dried figs that I found, and actually I liked the slightly more "chewy" quality of the dried fruit with the shaved sprouts.  Other changes I made were including a large handful of flat leaf parsley leaves ( I love to use the leaves whole like another salad green, rather than chopping them up), and because I wanted to turn this into a substantial meal for myself I also included some blue goats cheese and some beautiful big, fat, green Sicilian olives that I picked up at the farmers market.  Rock melon too have been abundant of late, and with plenty of melon on hand to be used up I thought this too would work perfectly with the sprouts and figs, and would deliver the juicy succulence that I had been hoping for in fresh figs. I also tweaked the dressing a bit really just to suit ingredients that I had on hand.

Here is my version of Ellie's salad, given its "autumn makeover".  Actually this was the first time I'd ever eaten brussels sprouts raw - won't be the last!  This salad packed plenty of great flavours, and lots of interesting textures - certainly delivers enough on both fronts to potentially get this one past even those who claim to hate sprouts.  I was very happy to make a meal out of this and would certainly make it again.  The other great thing about this salad, unlike a lettuce salad, is that it's not going to go all "wilty" on you, making this perfect to pack up and take outdoors for a picnic or barbeque.

Shaved Sprout Salad with Figs & Hazelnuts 3


Shaved Sprout Salad with Figs & Hazelnuts Recipe
Inspired by recipe by Ellie Krieger
from Weeknight Wonders
Serves 1 as a substantial meal or
Serves 2 as a light meal or side dish
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

large handful of hazelnuts
8x brussels sprouts, washed and outer leaves removed
large handful flat leaf parsley leaves
3x plump dried figs, cut into thin strips
1/4 of a rock melon, skin and seeds removed and cut into cubes
large handful of Sicilian olives
approx 75g (2.5 oz) blue cheese, crumbled

dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Place hazelnuts in a small dry frying pan, set over medium heat and toast, tosssing from time to time, until the nuts are golden brown.  Remove pan from the heat, tip the nuts out onto a clean tea towel, wrap them up and rub vigorously to loosen the skins.  Set nuts aside to cool.

Meanwhile, cut the sprouts in half lengthwise, remove the hard "core", and then with a very sharp knife cut them crosswise very thinly.  Place the shave sprouts in a bowl along with the parley leaves, dried figs, cubed rock melon, crumbled blue cheese, green olives, and roughly chopped hazelnuts.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients into a small jug or bowl and whisk until well combined.  Pour over salad ingredients and toss until everything is just coated with the dressing.

Serve and enjoy.

Note:  As with so many of my recipes you don't need to be too fussy about quantities here, or even use all of these ingredients - just follow your instincts and your taste buds to come up with your own creation
For example try using:
broccoli instead of brussels sprouts
feta instead of blue cheese
cranberries instead of dried figs
orange or pink grapefruit instead of rock melon
almonds instead of hazelnuts
The possibilities are limitless - just use your imagination

If you would like to get to know Ellie Krieger a little better, and to see all the wonderful "Green Eating" dishes my friends have come up with, then do go visit I Heart Cooking Clubs and check out the links.


I'll also be sharing this post this week at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my lovely friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen, and at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Souper Sundays Badge    Weekend Cooking Badge




22 comments:

  1. I LOVE Ellie Krieger! And that salad does say fall! Hope you get a few more days of summer. Here, after a nice mild week, we're expecting snow again! Our farmers markets won't open again until May, but I can find all these ingredients at the grocery store. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Beth. Well, summer definitely feels like it's over, but days are still warm enough most of the time to get around in short sleeves and sandals - certainly fairly crisp in the mornings now though, and with daylight saving having now finished it is of course getting dark so much earlier in the day. We are lucky enough here that we don't get quite the same extremes of weather that you do, so our farmers markets continue all year round, even though the selection of available produce is much less during the winter.

      Delete
  2. The salad is beautiful - and I'm certain tastes even better. I look forward to trying this myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much - I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for taking the time to visit :-)

      Delete
  3. Your salad looks gorgeous and perfect for any time of year. I love salads that mix fruits and veggies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Judy - I love the combination of fruits and vegetables together in salads to. I think the contrasting textures of soft fruit and crisp veg, as well as the sweet/savoury thing, that makes them really interesting.

      Delete
  4. I love this kind of salad and usually use cranberries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jackie - yes, cranberries would be great in this.

      Delete
  5. Those beautiful mornings at the farmer's market are some of my favorite moments in life. There is so much pleasure in it. I would love the chance to visit yours and see all the fresh goodies available in your area.

    This salad is so appealing! I actually love a sprout salad, especially with the sweetness and chewiness of dried fruit and a pungent cheese, such as your beautiful blue cheese. This one looks like a masterpiece!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kim. I love a morning at the farmers' market too, and then rushing home, grabbing some cookbooks off the shelf and whiling away a few hours working out what I'm going to make with all the bounty. And no matter where I go on holiday, I always make a beeline for the local farmers' market if I can - even if I won't be doing any cooking, I still can't resist them.

      Delete
  6. Nothing better than a sunny farmers market morning for sure Sue. I am a big fan of shredded/shaved Brussels sprout salads--love the flavor and texture of them. I love your changes and additions--I think the dried figs are perfect especially with the hazelnuts and the blue goat cheese and olives you added. I'd love a big bowl right about now! ;-)

    Thanks too for sharing it with Souper Sundays! It is linked up this week and will be featured on next Sunday's round up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to share a bowl with you, Deb :-) I must admit I was quite surprised by the shredded sprouts, and I will definitely be trying them again.

      Delete
  7. Your salad looks so lovely, I must try it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have never thought of serving Brussels sprout, shaved. Great idea! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It works really well, Joyce. The other way I love sprouts is roasted - seriously good.

      Delete
  9. I can't wait for farmers' markets to start back up around here. We're having our last (I hope!) snowfall of the winter today. I'm pinning this recipe to my Fall/Winter Salads Pinterest board!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Laurie - I hope you enjoy this one when the season rolls around :-)

      Delete
  10. I like Brussels sprouts but don't think I've had them raw - will try that sometime! Love the use of figs here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, so much. I loved the figs in here too, and I can't wait to try it again as soon as fresh figs are ready.

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I love hearing from you and your comments are like gold to me. Your comment will be visible as soon as it has been approved.