Brussels sprouts make Caesar salad nutritious

The Associated Press

If you love Brussels sprouts like I do, you will love this salad. If you aren’t sure, but you are a fan of Caesar salad, then you will hopefully love it too.

I’ve switched out chopped Brussels sprouts for the romaine lettuce in a classic Caesar salad and subbed toasted breadcrumbs for the classic croutons. This way, every bite has the crunchy buttery flavour of a crouton which eliminates rooting around in your bowl for one.

If you prefer to shred or slice your Brussels sprouts, that will work as well but I find the smaller the piece the better because raw Brussels sprouts are a little tough and dense. This isn’t the prettiest salad, but the flavour is all there and it is a great way to up the nutrient value of a Caesar salad.

Because this salad has essentially only three ingredients, it is important to use the best quality ingredients you can find, and make the dressing from scratch.

To make it easy, I’ve switched out the traditional method of whisking and mincing to make the dressing in a blender. That way, it is as easy as making a smoothie.

You put all the dressing ingredients in the blender—I use a smoothie cup—and blend away. In about 30 seconds, you have a perfectly emulsified creamy homemade Caesar dressing!

I like to use whole anchovies that are packed in a tin of oil, but you could use anchovy paste. Don’t omit the anchovies, they make all the difference in the world. Once the dressing is blended, you won’t even know they are there, but their contribution to the flavour of the dressing is huge.

The other important part of the dressing is the egg. I call for a coddled egg (a gently and barely cooked one) instead of a raw egg in this recipe. All you do is boil a small pot of water, place an egg on a spoon like you are dying Easter eggs, and hold the egg in the water for 40-60 seconds.

Immediately following, you plunge it into a cold water bath to stop the cooking. The short amount of cooking time in boiling water is said to kill the any bacteria from the raw egg. BRUSSELS SPROUTS CAESAR SALAD Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 20 Salad: 12 ounces Brussels sprouts, stemmed and chopped 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese toasted bread crumbs (recipe follows) Dressing: Makes about 1 cup 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 3-5 peeled garlic cloves 3 anchovies or 2 generous teaspoons anchovy paste

1 generous tablespoon strong Dijon mustard 1 coddled egg Juice of a lemon, about 1/4 cup 2 generous teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more if needed Toasted Bread Crumbs: Makes about 2 cups

1/4 unsliced loaf stale bread (I love leftover brioche),grated 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon fine-grain salt Clean and trim the Brussels sprouts and chop by hand or in a food processor. They should be diced. Set aside.

Make the dressing by first coddling an egg. Boil water in a small pot and once it is boiling, place a raw refrigerated egg on a spoon and lower into the water for 40-60 seconds. Immediately place the egg on the spoon in cold water and let it sit until you need it.

Place the rest of the ingredients in a small blender or smoothie cup. Add the egg and puree according to your machine’s instructions until the mixture is fully emulsified and creamy. Only add more oil if it is too thin. Season to taste. Set aside.

Toast the bread crumbs on the stove top in a large skillet. Melt the butter and add the salt. Swirl it around the pan so it coats the entire pan. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top and stir with a silicone spatula occasionally, until all are crisp and toasted. This will take about 15 minutes.

Assemble the salad by mixing the chopped Brussels sprouts with the grated cheese. Next add about 1/2 cup of dressing and mix well. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and a few grinds of sea salt. Mix well and taste. You may need a little more dressing.

I like to make this salad up to this part and refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight to let the flavours marry. Top with the toasted bread crumbs and mix well just before eating. You want each bite to include the crunchy bread crumbs as this balances the raw Brussels sprouts and the Caesar dressing.

Elizabeth Karmel is a barbecue and Southern foods expert.