Although if you were to look outside of my window right now, you would not have guessed that it’s the end of May, I hear that many other parts of the world are enjoying BBQ weather so I thought I would rush in with a simple BBQ-friendly salad idea.
This simple platter of charred lettuce – yes, you read that right and don’t knock it till you tried it – adorned with a creamy vegan Caesar dressing and some delicious breadcrumbs is easy to make and it makes for a perfect BBQ side.
Due to a lot of heavy rain in these parts lately, I made this dish on my trusted griddle pan, but if you are firing off a BBQ this salad is perfect for it. Make the sauce and breadcrumbs in advance and you are all set.
LETTUCE: there are a few types of lettuce you can use in this dish – Gem or Romaine (also known as Cos) are both suitable. Charring lettuce may seem like a strange thing to do but it really works, trust me.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS: sunflower seeds softened in water make a great nut-free base for the creamy dressing. Sunflower seeds are cheap and easily accessible and perfect if you cannot have nuts. If you prefer a nut base, raw cashews make for a creamy sauce too.
GARLIC: I added a few cloves of roasted garlic as I like its mellow flavour, but if you prefer something a little more pungent use a clove (or less) of raw garlic instead.
MISO: a dash of white (shiro miso) miso paste adds a nice depth of flavour and some saltiness. If you only have red miso paste, simply add a little less as it tends to be more potent.
CAPERS: I used drained, pickled in brine, capers to add another flavour dimension to this dressing.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST: A staple vegan seasoning that adds a hit of cheesiness and a nice depth of flavour to this dressing. If you don’t have it, skip or compensate by using a little more miso.
COARSE BREADCRUMBS: I make my own breadcrumbs by allowing my bread (I use Turkish pide as that’s what we eat a lot of) go stale (cube it first) and pounding it in my pestle and mortar. For this application, it is best to use coarse breadcrumbs as they add an extra layer of texture to this simple dish. If you want to make this dish gluten-free, toasted almond flakes would be a nice substitute.
CAESAR DRESSING
FRIED BREADCRUMBS
CAESAR DRESSING
FRIED BREADCRUMBS
ASSEMBLY