About this time last year I discovered a most-delicious salad, a Greg and Lucy Malouf creation, a mixture of green olives, walnuts and pomegranate seeds tossed in a spicy, sweet, salty dressing, a combination I find irresistible.
Ingreadient :
1 cup walnuts
10 to 12 oz (283 to 340 g) Brussels sprouts (about 9 oz (255g) once trimmed of stems)
kosher salt
1 pomegranate, seeded (see notes for guidance)
1 to 2 jalapenos, minced
olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
Direction :
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Place walnuts on a sheet pan. Toast for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Remove from oven. Place in tea towel. Rub together to remove skins. Transfer walnuts to strainer and shake to remove excess skin. Coarsely chop and set aside.
Meanwhile, peel the brussels sprouts: chop the ends off of each sprout cutting higher than you might normally. Pick leaves off of the stem ends, then discard the stem. Using a paring knife, core the sprout the way you would when removing the white part of the strawberry around the stem. Discard the core. With your fingers, gently pull the sprout in half removing the leaves as you go.
Add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the pot of water. Add the sprouts to the water and cook for 45 seconds. Drain. Run under cold water. Spin dry.
Place sprouts (drying off excess water with paper towels or a tea towel if necessary) in a large salad bowl. Add pomegranate seeds, one of the minced jalapenos, and the chopped wlanuts. Season with salt to taste. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar over top. Toss and taste, adding more olive oil and vinegar by the tablespoon if necessary. If it’s not spicy enough, add the additional jalapeño.