Charred Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate Molasses, Goat Cheese and Serrano Chile

This recipe is one of my favorite side dishes. If you’ve got any Brussels Sprouts “haters” in your family, this will surely change their mind. The charred sprouts give a slightly bitter and flavorful bite while you get the creamy goat cheese, the spicy Serrano Chile and the tangy and sweet Pomegranate Molasses. Yum.

Recipe by: Tierney Larson

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of hazelnuts toasted and chopped

1 bunch of Brussels sprouts, outer bruised leaves peeled and discarded, root trimmed and cut in half vertically

1 serrano chile (optional)

kosher salt

1 tbl dill leaves, chopped

1-2 tbl pomegranate molasses

1 ounce goat cheese

To toast the hazelnuts, just place in a dry pan over medium heat and let them toast giving them a shake now and then, until slightly darker and fragrant, about 10 minutes. When done, pour into a kitchen towel and fold the other half of the towel over them. Rub them around in the towel to remove some of the skin, chop and set aside.

Preheat your pan (or you can also do this on the grill on a grill pan) over medium-high heat on a dry skillet, until when you flick some water on the pan it sizzles and steams. Toss the Brussels sprouts and the Serrano pepper (whole) in 2 tbl of olive oil and season with kosher salt and then pour into the hot pan. Turn the Brussels onto their flat side and let them char for a few minutes until they get a dark brown/black char. Flip and let them cook on the second time until they char. Taste one and if they’re still slightly al dente they’re done, if you want them to be more tender, add about 1 tsp of water to the hot pan and cover with a lid to let them steam and get more tender, until they’ve reached the texture you like.

Remove all of them and set aside. Slice the Serrano in half down the whole Serrano to reveal the seeds. Remove them, and then finely chop the Serrano and add it to the Brussels sprouts. Toss them together and then add half of the dill and toss. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses and sprinkle the goat cheese and hazelnuts over the top. Top with the remaining dill and serve.