A Good Caesar Salad

A nourishing, seasonal (read: Autumn) twist on a classic — crunchy, creamy, deeply savoury and full of fibre, protein and gut-loving goodness. Perfect for batching for your working lunches - just keep the dressing & croutons seperate until ready to eat.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken

1 whole chicken, spatchcocked

1 tbsp EVOO

Salt + freshly cracked black pepper

Croutons

Half a wholemeal sourdough loaf, torn/cut into 2 cm chunks

2–3 tbsp chicken fat (from roasting tray) or EVOO

Pinch sea salt

Salad

2 baby cos lettuces & 1 head raddicho, torn

1 bulb fennel, finely shaved (use a mandolin if you like it extra thin)

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (plus leaves if you have them)

1 cup green peas, blanched

400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed + drained

Caesar Dressing

1 egg yolk

1 cup grated finely grated fresh parmesan

Zest + juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp Dijon mustard

4–5 anchovy fillets

1 tbsp miso

⅓ - ½ cup EVOO

1–2 tbsp water (to loosen)

METHOD

Roast the chicken

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Lay the spatchcocked chicken flat on a tray, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for 35–45 minutes until golden, crispy and cooked through.
Transfer to a chopping board to rest for 10 minutes before carve/shred.

While thats cooking - Blend the dressing

Add all dressing ingredients (except water) to a blender/food processor.
Blend until smooth, then slowly add water to reach desired consistency and volume.

Taste and adjust — you want it punchy, savoury, lemony, zesty.

Prep the salad

Blanch the peas in boiling water and then throw into ice cold water once just cooked and drain. In a large bowl, combine cos lettuce & raddichio leaves (tear up the bigger ones with your hands), fennel + fronts, celery + leaves, blanched peas, cannellini beans & any herbs you like including parsley or mint. Set aside.

Make the croutons

Once the chook is cooked, transfer

Turn the oven down to 180°C. Toss sourdough chunks in the reserved chicken fat (or olive oil) with a pinch of salt. Bake for 10–12 minutes until golden and crunchy.

Pull it all together

If planning to eat the whole thing now - add the chicken to the salad base and spoon over some dressing. Use your hands to gently toss it together -before adding on the croutons. Add more dressing as you please.

If you’re planning on saving it for lunches - keep the dressing and croutons seperate so it all stays fresh and crunchy - and then add dressing just before enjoying!

Buon appetito 🍋