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Grill/Barbecue

Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Walnut-Sage Romesco Sauce

by:
December 31, 2011
4.7
3 Ratings
Photo by Michael Z. Miller
  • Serves 4 with romesco leftover!
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

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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
  1. Marinated Grilled Brussels Sprouts
  2. Put bay leaves and 1 lemon half into a pot of salted water. Bring to boil.
  3. Clean Brussels sprouts, removing withered leaves and trimming the cut ends. Score the bottoms once per sprout.
  4. Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
  5. When ready, place the sprouts on a hot grill and grill for approximately 12 minutes, turning periodically.
  6. Serve with romesco sauce drizzled on top (or really however you like).
  1. Sage-Walnut Romesco Sauce
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. For best results, allow to refrigerate overnight. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
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5 Reviews

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LeBec F. January 11, 2012
EE, i'm told that if you write to foodeditors@food52.com that they will change a recipe for you.
In light of this, i emailed them earler today re the missing step.

p.s. one of my fav uses of romesco is with deep fried shrimp and scallops. try it!
EdibleExeter January 11, 2012
Ah! I see the issue! I noticed this when I first submitted the recipe, and attempted to correct it, but I guess I wasn't very successful! There's a step missing in the first part of the recipe! The next step after blanching the brussel sprouts is this: "4.) Drain, and place in ice. Once cool, place the Brussels sprouts in a zip-lock back with olive oil, garlic cloves, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes but up to 4 hours." I was surprised by how well the Brussels sprouts took to the marinade! Also, I absolutely adore roasted Brussels sprouts, so I think that is an excellent way to keep the flavors that I wanted without the risk of burning! Your tapas idea is fantastic! I am definitely going to have to try that! Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my recipe! I hope you love it!
EdibleExeter January 11, 2012
annnd now everyone can see how technologically averse I am! I'll figure out this site I promise!
LeBec F. January 10, 2012
Brilliant adaptation, EE. Question- where are you using your paprika, garlic, cayenne in the initial recipe part?

Rather than boiling and grilling, i 'm thinking of roasting w/ evoo, with lemon zest, paprika, garlic, cayenne added in the last half of roasting, so as not to burn. What do you think of that thought? You know, these would make a fantastic tapas; i bet they would just fly off a menu. I was also imagining a tapas version with
a croquetta batter around the brussel sprouts(inspired by those great ham and manchego croquettas in a recent Food52 contest). I really admire your innovative takes with this recipe. I think you're going to be the impetus for me to have (finally) my very first cooking experience with brussel sprouts!! thnx much and congrats!
EdibleExeter January 11, 2012
Ah, I see the issue! I tried to fix this part of the recipe earlier, but I guess I was unsuccessful. The original recipe has a step immediately after blanching the Brussels sprouts:

"4.) Drain, and place in ice. Once cool, place the Brussels sprouts in a zip-lock back with olive oil, garlic cloves, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes but up to 4 hours."

I adore roasted Brussels sprouts, so I definitely think that is a good way to go as well! I agree that if you want to be safer about the burning it might be best to hold off until a little later in the roasting time. The tapas idea is wonderful! I definitely am going to have to try making these with croquetta batter! Thank you so much for reading my recipe and commenting! I hope you love it!