Author Notes: I feel like a romesco sauce is the perfect vehicle for sage and walnuts. It’s easy to do, delicious, and pushes the boundaries on creativity a little beyond your typical pesto. In that spirit, I adapted recipes from the Culinary Institute of America cookbook and kitchenwitchcookie’s fantastic recipe for Grilled Brussels Sprouts. Instead of the artichokes that the Culinary Institute of America recipe calls for, I took some inspiration from kitchenwitchcookie (but changed the spices) and decided to substitute in Brussels sprouts instead of artichokes while keeping the idea of marinating the vegetables in lemons, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Grilling the brussel sprouts gives them a nice smokiness that goes excellently with the walnuts. For the romesco sauce, I substituted in walnuts, which I thought would help bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes and pair well with the slight bitterness of the Brussels sprouts. I also added in a healthy dose of sage to add an earthy, peppery flavor to the romesco. Lessons I learned from this recipe: 1.) My family is way more supportive of my cooking endeavors when I enter the results into contests 2.) My brother will eat anything if you pair it with a good sauce 3.) Flipping Brussels sprouts on the grill is more difficult than expected, but the results are oh so worth it! —EdibleExeter
Serves: 4 with romesco leftover!
Ingredients
Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts
-
24
Brussels Sprouts
-
2
Bay Leaves
-
1
Lemon (halved)
-
3
Garlic Cloves, sliced
-
1
teaspoon Smoked Paprika
-
1/4
teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
-
3/4
cup Olive Oil
-
Salt and Pepper
Sage-Walnut Romesco Sauce
-
2
Dried Ancho Chiles (you have some leeway here! I’ve tried Guajillo chiles and they worked as well)
-
2
cups Chopped Roasted Red Bell Pepper
-
2
cups Chopped Walnuts, toasted
-
6 or 7
sprigs Fresh Sage (alternatively 1/2 tablespoon dried sage)
-
2/3
cup Olive Oil
-
2
tablespoons Tomato Paste
-
2
tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
-
1
tablespoon Minced Garlic
-
1 1/2
teaspoons Smoked Paprika
-
1/4
teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
-
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts
- Put bay leaves and 1 lemon half into a pot of salted water. Bring to boil.
- Clean Brussels sprouts, removing withered leaves and trimming the cut ends. Score the bottoms once per sprout.
- Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
- When ready, place the sprouts on a hot grill and grill for approximately 12 minutes, turning periodically.
- Serve with romesco sauce drizzled on top (or really however you like).
Sage-Walnut Romesco Sauce
- Put ancho chiles in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Let chiles steap for 20 minutes. Strain the chiles from the water, but reserve some soaking liquid in case your romesco is too dry.
- Put the roasted red pepper, walnuts, sage, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, paprika, and cayenne into a blender. Puree until smooth, adding chile soaking liquid as needed to reach a sauce-like consistency.
- For best results, allow to refrigerate overnight. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
/36c26f33-1cf3-4215-88a4-77d127644bb8--Roasted_Brussels_Sprouts_1.jpg "Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Walnut-Sage Romesco Sauce 2")
Photo by Michael Z. Miller
