Caesar Salad with Roasted Garbanzo Beans – Alison Mountford

By Alison Mountford, contributing chef

ACTIVE TIME – 30

TOTAL TIME – 30

QUICK TIPS – I love a simple Caesar but it has to be done well. The dressing is easier than you might think to make a real from scratch Caesar! If you love anchovies, use filets so you can drape some on top.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cup bread (cubes from a baguette or sliced sandwich loaf)

.5 teaspoon garlic salt

.5 cup vegetable oil (plus a little more)

.5 teaspoon anchovy (paste or filets, or omit – see note in substitutions)

6 eggs

1 clove garlic

.5 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 lemon (zest and juice, divided)

3 Tablespoon parmesan cheese (finely grated, reserve some for garnish)

1 head romaine lettuce

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans

.5 teaspoon paprika

.5 teaspoon kosher salt

.5 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. HEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES

• CROUTONS

Use a large, heavy baking sheet with sides, slice the butter thinly and scatter on the bottom of the pan. Tear or slice your bread into cubes – I aim for about 1” cubes but you can make them larger or smaller. Toss bread with garlic salt and a little drizzle of oil. Layer over the butter on the pan and place in the oven. Bake for about 3 – 4 minutes, then toss and keep baking until they’re golden all over and crunchy. Remove to cool.

• DRESSING

In a blender, add the anchovy paste, the yolks of 2 of the eggs (save the whites!), garlic clove, and dijon. Turn on and blend for about 30 seconds. Zest in the lemon and squeeze in ½ of the juice. Get the oil ready, turn the blender on low, and SLOWLY drizzle the oil in through the top of the blender. It will feel ridiculously slow at first, but just drizzle in a few drops at a time. Take your time and stay steady. Eventually you can add a little more quickly but don’t rush, you’ll hear the mixture change its sound as it gets thicker. Going slowly creates the emulsion. When it is thick enough, you should have used most of the oil, you can use a little less if it gets too thick (like a mayo consistency). Add most of the parmesan to the blender but reserve some for garnish.

• TROUBLESHOOTING

TOO THICK – by hand, whisk in a little more lemon juice, water, or a ½ teaspoon of cider vinegar

BROKEN – if you went too fast with the oil, remove half the contents from the blender, and add another egg yolk. Turn the blender back on and very slowly stream in the rest of the liquid that you removed. It will come back together

TOO THIN – keep adding more oil

• LETTUCE

Chop the romaine and rinse in a colander as needed. Let it hang out in the sink to drain.

• EGGS

Place 4 of the whole eggs in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat. Time for 9 minutes. When done, drain the water and run under cool water. Crack and peel the eggs.

• GARBANZO BEANS

Drain and pat dry the beans. Toss on a baking sheet with the paprika and a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil. Roast for about 8 minutes, shaking occasionally, until golden brown and crispy.

• SERVING

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, beans, croutons, and dressing to taste. Pile high on plates. Top with halved hard boiled eggs and garnish with reserved parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

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Go here to download and/or print: https://rinewstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Caesar-Salad-Alison-Mountford-for-RINewsToday.pdf

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Find other recipes from Alison, here: https://rinewstoday.com/alison-mountford/

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Chef Alison Mountford is the founder of Ends+Stems – which is a meal planning membership and recipe website to reduce food waste. “Chef Alison” also hosts a series of online courses for easier weeknight meals and feeding picky eaters with less stress. Alison began in 2005 as a personal chef and caterer in San Francisco but she recently returned home to Rhode Island!

She is passionate about helping families eat well together, with less frustration. Alison is often hired as a speaker to share about household food waste, feeding busy families, and sustainability in the kitchen; she’s appeared many times on The Rhode Show and other podcasts and webinars.

Alison is also the Market Coordinator at Hope & Main – Rhode Island only culinary incubator – where she loves helping new food businesses expand their social media, brand, and increase sales at the farmer’s markets!