A new year calls for some innovation. As the pages on the calendar turned, I thought it would be fun to mix up our salad game and try a new salad each week. This Broccolini Caesar Salad created by Justin Chapple for the June 2021 issue of Food and Wine caught my eye a while back . The salad’s beautiful combination of greens and differences in texture appealed to me. The recipe has been patiently sitting in a pile near my cookbooks ever since, waiting its turn to bring new tastes to our table.
For my version of Roasted Broccolini Caesar salad, I made a few changes to Chapple’s recipe. First, I opted to replace the sliced red onion in the original recipe with a milder, smaller sliced shallot. I also subbed pistachios for the almonds, due in part to what I had on hand and because their lovely verdant hue matches the salad so well. Finally, I added a dusting of Parmesan for both its texture and flavor to the final dish.
Toasting and Roasting
There were hurdles to get this salad on our table, but I overcame them. A few days after our holiday guests departed, our microwave and oven combination went on the blink. I turned to my trusty toaster oven to bake the pistachios and roast the broccolini. Since I was making a half-portion of the original recipe, my smaller appliance worked fine for this task. (But I am looking forward to having the basic workhorses in my kitchen function again!)
As the pistachios and broccolini baked, I had time to slice the kale and tear the lettuce leaves. Chapple’s recipe calls for Little Gem lettuces, but any crisp variety will do. I found a lettuce called “Rocky Mountain Crunch” at the store, and it worked beautifully. After finishing the kale and lettuce prep, I cut the roasted broccolini in half crosswise.
Next I prepped the Caesar dressing. It combines mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and garlic with a few mashed anchovies for that briny, rich Caesar profile. The dressing is quick to put together. But you could easily substitute a store-bought Caesar dressing if you wished.
Crisp and Green
The crunch in this salad comes from many components—the charred broccolini, the crisp lettuce, the nuts. The chickpeas provide a creamy texture that offsets the crunchy elements well.
I love the varieties of green in the salad, too—dark green kale, lime-colored lettuce, and emerald-hued broccolini.
Tossed with the creamy dressing and sprinkled with Parmesan, this salad can easily be a main course or a great side dish.
We decided it was a delicious way to welcome the new year.
Roasted Broccolini Caesar Salad
Sunnyside Cook
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw pistachios
- ¾ pound fresh Broccolini ends trimmed off and thick stems halved lengthwise
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for the salad dressing
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 3 anchovy fillets drained (or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Scant ½ teaspoon grated garlic
- ½ 15- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 cups crunchy lettuce leaves --such as Little Gem, Romaine, Rocky Mountain Crunch or other, torn into bite-size pieces
- 4 ounces Lacinato Kale leaves stemmed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pistachios on a baking pan and roast for 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from oven, transfer to a plate and allow to cool.
- Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Toss Broccolini with olive oil on baking sheet, making sure that the Broccolini heads are oiled, then season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Spread the Broccolini so that they don’t overlap and roast until the florets are charred a bit, 12-17 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When they are cool, cut the stalks in half crosswise.
- Place the sliced shallot in a small bowl of ice water while you prepare the other ingredients. Drain well and pat dry before adding to salad.
- While the Broccolini bakes, tear the lettuce leaves and slice the kale.
- Meanwhile chop anchovy fillets into very small pieces, then mash them with a fork. Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Season liberally with black pepper and stir in anchovy paste. Mix well.
- Place the Broccolini, lettuce, and kale together in a large serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss. Sprinkle on the shallots, chickpeas, and Parmesan. Toss again. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve.
This looks very tasty!
Thanks, Tai!
This, my dear, appears to be a winner!
We loved it!
Looks delicious, Mom. A very healthy start to the New Year.
It is delicious! I hope you’ll try it soon!
Sounds delicious Dawn. I’ve never heard of soaking shallots in ice water before adding to a recipe, but mine are usually cooked. 🫶🏻
Soaking the sliced shallot lessens its intensity and crisps it up a bit. It’s not a necessary step, but one I use so the oniony flavor is less powerful.