WHOLE ROASTED BROCCOLI with CAESAR DRESSING + LEMON BREADCRUMBS

When it comes to classics, like the Caesar salad…. I am have moved more and more into the camp of stubbornly keeping things classic. Especially, when making it at home, the goal each time to work more and more towards perfecting my own version of the classic.

To me, the Ceasar salad dressing is the most utopian of salad dressings . It’s creamy, its tangy, its umami, its salty, its perfect for hearty greens. Of course, this is when it’s made just right. When you have just the right balance of each ingredient for them to create the most harmonious dance with the other ingredients. Making and perfecting my Caesar salad dressing has been a joy and obsession I have had for a while, and I proudly feel that it is at a place that needs no more tweaking.

With that said, I am always curious and excited to try other people´s versions of their perfect Caesar. Recently, I ordered a Caesar salad at a restaurant where I had pretty high expectations for the outcome. Many of the elements were well executed (the dressing, the cut of the lettuce) but in the end, it ended up being a giant disappointment because there was a giant pile of stale, too-crunchy croutons thrown on top that ruined the whole experience. So, it got me thinking. Rarely, unless there is a lot of thought or effort put into them, are croutons a good addition to this or any salad. You could have a perfect salad and perfect dressing and ruin it with a stale, too-large, over-cooked or (worse) store-bought crouton. For a more unified crunch satisfaction, the breadcrumb always makes more sense. Even more so when the breadcrumb flavoring enhances everything else, just as much as the texture.

I am certainly not the first to challenge this crouton vs. breadcrumb Caesar. In fact, I have seen the idea pop up a bunch in my feeds recently. So, I am just here to reenforce this discussion of this much needed upgrade.

And, at the sake of sounding like a complete flip-flopper from how I started this post…. I have one other Caesar alteration that I am by no means petitioning to replace a good, crunchy romaine, but…. just to add a bit of diversity of usage for the perfect coupling of the Ceasar dressing and lemony breadcrumb. Enter, the whole roasted broccoli. Which is a showstopper for both taste, and looks. Taking a whole head of broccoli, cutting it in half, roasting it until its a tiny bit charred on the edges, stacking it in a grandiose way, then pouring that creamy Caesar and watching it fill in all those broccoli crevices, and finishing it with a crunchy blanket of lemony breadcrumbs…. its feels celebratory, and it feels like a very acceptable and appropriate detour from the Classic. Maybe we call this a cousin to the classic, that would be prefect to consider for slightly more celebratory meals or moods.

WHOLE ROASTED BROCCOLI with CAESAR DRESSING + LEMON BREADCRUMBS

While I usually like to make room and acceptance for modifications or alterations, there is not much I can consider here….. unless that is, you want to use the dressing and breadcrumb for THE classic romaine dressing caesar. Then, by all means, go for it.

INGREDIENTS 

1 whole broccoli, stem trimmed 
Extra virgin olive oil 
Salt and pepper

For the caesar dressing:
1 small garlic clove
4 anchovies
a pinch of salt 
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (½ a lemon)
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of dijon 
freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil 
¼ cup + of vegetable oil 

For the breadcrumbs:

1 tablespoon of salted butter
½ cup of panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper
Zest of a lemon 

Optional toppings / additions: shaved Parmesan, fried capers, some greens to serve this over

METHOD 

ROAST the broccoli:

Pre-heat the oven to 425F. Place the broccoli onto a baking sheet, drizzle well with olive oil, coating it really well with the oil, and then lightly season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the broccoli is charred and tender. 

WHILE the broccoli is roasting, MAKE the dressing:

Mince the garlic, and then add the anchovies and a tiny pinch of salt to the minced garlic, and continue mincing the anchovies with the garlic until you have a paste. Transfer that paste to a small mixing bowl and add the egg yolk, lemon juice, dijon, worcestershire, and whisk to combine. (TIP: place a wet cloth under the bowl before you start to whisk in the oil so it stays put and gives you a free hand to drizzle.) Then, drizzle the olive oil in super slowly, whilk whisking continuously. Then do the same for the vegetable oil. You will need somewhere between ¼ - ½ of a cup to get the consistency you desire. If your dressing is too thick, you can add a splash of water so it´s better for drizzling over the broccoli.

THEN, TOAST the breadcrumbs:

Heat a pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and then add the breadcrumbs, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently to toast the crumbs, for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Add the lemon zest, stir, taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. 

ASSEMBLE and SEVRE:

Stack the roasted broccoli onto a large plate. Drizzle the caesar dressing over the broccoli, and finish with the toasted breadcrumbs. Enjoy immediately.