Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad - Merit Educational Consultants
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Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

Last Thanksgiving, I asked Nicole to make a new salad following Shoshanah Orzech’s (my nutritionist) recipe. 

Thanksgiving at the D’Arcys always includes our very best dishes as we try to out-do ourselves every year (a little healthy competition never hurt anyone…aside from the Unfortunate Habanero Twinkie Incident of ’03, that is). 

So when Nicole questioned me about grating raw brussels sprouts and chopping kale into tiny slivers, she was worried that she would be negatively associated with this awful salad. I have to admit that I stopped to re-read the recipe myself because it didn’t sound right, because who eats RAW brussels sprouts?

When Nicole sneakily inserted her kale and brussel sprout salad amongst the huge array of dishes, she hoped that nobody would notice.  When all the guests were served, I grabbed my plate, and to my astonishment, I found that the kale and brussels sprout salad bowl was completely empty. 

Then I started to hear the buzz around the dinner tables about that delicious salad.  When one of our guests asked who made the salad, Nicole quipped, “I just followed the recipe; I’m not responsible!”. 

It’s the first time we actually ran out of something on Thanksgiving and who would have guessed it would be that salad?

Try it out yourself! Here’s the recipe:

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
  • 12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.