I was at an unofficial Book Club (weekday, smaller crowd) lunch and my friend Mira was tossing some sprouts together with some sliced sausage to pop into the oven.
No biggie, right? I mean, who doesn’t roast their sprouts anymore (unless they’re shaving ’em for salad)?
Thing is, Mira then went and added crumbled Bulgarian Feta to the roasted sprouts and sausage and, well, totally yummy!
Here’s the deal, though.
Mira is more than happy to set me up with her local Bulgarian Feta Guy, but we just do not use it as much as she and her family do, so I stick with the smaller chunks I can buy from my local market’s deli case. It’s pricier, and Mira will quickly tell you that it is not as good as Bulgarian Feta, but it’s still pretty good, and I do not have a a hunk o’ cheese the size of a large brick sitting in salted water in my fridge; which would seriously cut into my condiment storage.
Priorities, people.
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts
•3 tbsp good olive oil
•Salt (Kosher or coarse sea salt)
•Red pepper flakes – to taste
•Black pepper
•Balsamic vinegar
•Feta Cheese
•Pecan halves
A note on the Balsamic: I use an aged 25 year old vinegar I get at a local olive oil store. You can order it on line, or, check and see if there’s a store near you.
Heat your oven to 350º.
Cut the stem ends off your sprouts, then cut them each in half. Arrange in a baking pan, drizzle with the olive oil, then season to taste with the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. If you have any, go ahead and add a tablespoon of Sherry Peppers Sauce, too.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the sprouts are nicely browned and caramelized at the edges – this can happen fast though, so check after 20 minutes or so.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the vinegar, toss with Feta cheese and pecan halves, then let rest for a bit for the cheese to soften a bit.
Enjoy your sprouts.