Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Wheatberries with a Parsley-Walnut-Lemon Oil

Put your hands up in the air for *drum rolls*..... brussel sprouts!! They might have a bad rep, but not in my kitchen- I love'em, yum!!! These cute looking round little veggies are right in season around this time of the year, so take advantage of it! I recently roasted them and paired them up with one of my favourite grains- wheatberries- and a nice parsley-walnut lemony oil .

In case wheat berries are not so common in your part of the world, well know two things 1) they are super yummy with a super chewy texture and a nutty taste 2) they are good for you, high in fiber and in nutrients as they are a whole unprocessed grain.

This is an easy recipe full of taste. Besides cooking the wheatberries (which you can do a day ahead if you want) you'll also need to roast the brussel sprouts with lots of onions

And while that's happening, you can blend a whole lot of fresh parsley, walnuts, olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon... which will make a nice, green and vibrantly tasty thick pesto-ish oil that will tie in all the ingredients together for one damn delicious dish! 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Wheatberries with a Parsley-Walnut-Lemon Oil

Brussel sprouts, halved

Onions, sliced

Garlic, chopped finely

Wheatberries

A LOT of fresh parsley

A handful of walnuts

Olive oil

Lemon, freshly squeezed

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

First things first: cook the wheatberries. They take about an hour (yes, that's a turn off... but you can do it!!). Follow the instructions on the package for cooking directions. Generally, you can cook them using a ratio of 1 cup wheatberries : 3 cups water; place in a pot on high heat until first boil, then reduce to low heat for 1 hour. Remove, drain any remaining water and set aside.

Then. heat oven to 400F/200C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a bowl mix brussel sprouts, onions, garlic and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix until all ingredients are well coated. Bake for 15 minutes, end with 2 min broil/grill function. 

In the meantime, place lots of parsley, some walnuts, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend and taste- season with salt & pepper. If you'd like to highlight one ingredient over the other- then adjust to your preference! 

You can then mix everything together: the wheatberries, roasted brussel sprouts & parsley oil and enjoy warm/cold OR....

You can heat some olive oil in a pan, stir in the wheatberries, follow with the brussel sprouts & onions and finally the parsley oil mixing everything together for just a few minutes so that all ingredients reach a same warm/hot temperature and enjoy as such. 

It's your choice really! Bon appetit!