We’ve officially entered “the cooking zone” of the year, when the impulse to stay inside and cook outweighs the desire to go out and do things. (If you can’t tell, I really like this.) Thanksgiving is its natural starting point, and I’ve started the usual preparations for the big day. First up on the recipe docket is the vegetable everybody loves to pretend to hate: Brussels sprouts.
We have likely surpassed the need to invent new ways of making Brussels sprouts delicious. Bacon has been doing a fine job at that for a while, and there’s probably never been a bigger vegetable glow-up than when sheet trays entered the picture. Brussels sprouts, provided they are either crunchy, crispy, or smothered in fat, are firmly in the “good” category now.
Nevertheless, I wanted to find a new approach that didn’t lean on bacon, pomegranate seeds, a food processor, or excessive browning — one that showcased Brussels sprouts for what they are while making them a bit more cheffy and sophisticated for an elegant Thanksgiving. Naturally, I asked myself: what would Estela do? I landed on something of a Thanksgiving panzanella.
It’s a riff on Estela’s classic endive salad, in which the chicories sit atop a bed of croutons and cheese in an anchovy-orange vinaigrette. That’s just about what I did here, except the Brussels sprout leaves are peeled and very lightly sautéed in garlic before being dressed and tossed in the crouton mixture. It feels appropriately festive; the orange zest and nutmeg lend a wintry touch, and if you use a fancy Italian cheese like the Ubriaco di Prosecco I chose, it really tastes like a holiday.
Brussels Panzanella
Ingredients
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