Brussels Sprouts Salad

Did you know that "Brussels sprouts" is the correct spelling of those little cabbage relatives? Yes, Brussels like the city. With an s at the end. Capitalized. Not "brussel sprouts" in the way that we all seem to pronounce it.

Ok, lesson over.

So I know a lot of people really, really don't like Brussels sprouts, and I will say, if they're not prepared well, they do have a particularly interesting taste. But Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. They can be sauteed or oven roasted, and often take on a great caramelized flavor. But did you know you can just eat them raw? I think most of us don't think of them that way because we always picture them cooked, but at the end of the day, it's in the cabbage family, and we eat cabbage raw and cooked. So why not Brussels sprouts?

One of my favorite uses for Brussels sprouts is to make a salad out of them. Using a mandolin, I slice up the sprouts and then toss them a bit to get all the leaf strips to separate. Cutting them this way makes the super-crunchy texture much more manageable than just pulling the leaves off and trying to eat the leaves.

Then, add your favorite toppings. One of my favorite combinations is reduced balsamic vinegar (reduced on the stove until the tanginess dissipates and you're left with a sweet balsamic syrup), olive oil, dried cranberries, serrano ham, and a nice hard aged cheese. The result looks super fancy, but at the end of the day it's just a simple salad!