Given that it’s been absolutely frigid for weeks on end, most of my cooking has been one of two things: long-simmering stove-top dishes or supplementing the heating in my apartment by turning on the oven, chopping some vegetables, and allowing them to roast all afternoon. With all the snow, and cold, and damp, cooking in a warm kitchen has been a source of comfort. And while I’ve made a good number of stews, soups, and starches, I was particularly pleased with this recent production. A little bit of salty and a little bit of sweet all comes together in this beautiful winter salad.
To make the salad I start by roasting the Brussels sprouts in the oven for a good chunk of an hour before assembling the rest of the ingredients. For this version, I used the teeny tiny Brussels sprouts at Whole Foods, so I simply sliced them the halves. If you use bigger sprouts, consider quartering them. They’re roasted with a hefty dose of olive oil and seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper before going in the oven. After roasting, a toss them with a bit of balsamic vinegar, which, paired with the remaining olive oil on the vegetables, turns into the dressing for the salad. This isn’t a heavily dressed salad, but feel free to add a bit more oil or vinegar if you need it. The light dressing works in part because the Brussels sprouts, apples, and raisins are so moist, and their warmth just ever so slightly wilts the arugula. So rather than tough, dry fronds, the separate ingredients of the salad come together to serve as dressing.
Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound Brussels sprouts, tough bases removed, then quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced and torn into 2-inch pieces
3 ounces arugula, washed
1 honey crisp apple (or other crisp, sweet apple)
Steps
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the quartered Brussels sprouts with the olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender, stirring and turning the sprouts at 10-minute intervals. Remove the Brussels sprouts from the oven and toss with the balsamic vinegar.
2. Crisp the prosciutto in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the raisins and gently warm for 5 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir to incorporate.
3. Slice the honey crisp apple into thin slices. Arrange the arugula in a bowl. Tops with the Brussels sprouts mix and apples.
