Brussels sprouts are my favorite vegetable. I love to pan sauté them with bacon and have tendency to eat the combination as an entire meal. I prefer to cook them without meat when serving them as a side dish for a large dinner, like Thanksgiving. Gremolata is a mixture of chopped herbs, garlic and lemon zest served raw, generally over cooked vegetables, fish and braised meats. Gremolata adds a “brightness” of flavor to a dish.
For these Brussels sprouts I roast them simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, then add the raw gremolata to the pan. The gremolata cooks with the sprouts for the last few minutes creating an amazing fragrance. I toss them with just a little lemon juice and some olive oil before serving.
Roasted Gremolata Brussels Sprouts
serves 8
Ingredients
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half, or quartered if very large
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced (at least 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Preheat oven to 375 F.
On a rimmed baking or half sheet pan toss Brussels sprouts with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast until sprouts just begin to turn golden and a little tender, about 20 to 22 minutes. Combine garlic, rosemary and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add the garlic, rosemary and zest mixture to cooked Brussels sprouts on the sheet pan and toss. Return to oven and roast until sprouts are tender and garlic is just beginning to turn a little golden but not brown, about to 7 to 9 minutes more. Remove from oven.
Drizzle sprouts with a little lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit, adding more lemon juice as needed. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil, if desired, and serve hot.
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