Brussels sprouts push nutrition in a classic salad

Simple vegetarian spring pasta salad

IThis March 29, 2018 photo shows Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs from a recipe by Elizabeth Karmel, in Amagansett, NY. (AP)

By Elizabeth Karmel

f 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 flavor 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 flavor 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 as easy as possible, 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 if you are a little squeamish, you could use anchovy paste too. Don’t be tempted to omit the anchovies, they make all the difference in the world. Once the dressing is blended, you won’t even know that they are there, but their contribution to the flavor of the dressing is huge.

The other important part of the dressing is the egg. A friend of mine who considers himself a so-called Caesar salad king told me that in his opinion Caesar salad dressing isn’t really Caesar salad dressing without the egg to give it richness. I concurred and call for a coddled egg instead of a raw egg in this recipe.

If you have never coddled an egg before, don’t worry. It’s beyond easy. 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 and you have a coddled egg that is perfect for making Caesar salad dressing.

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 This February 2018 photo shows simple vegetarian spring pasta

salad in New York. (AP) 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, moving the toasted breadcrumbs to the top and the untoasted breadcrumbs to the bottom 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 to add 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 flavors 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.

A great pasta salad is a beautiful thing. It anchors a picnic, potluck or buffet with aplomb. It’s portable, flexible, and easily and often vegetarian.

One of the first things I made for my then-boyfriend’s (now husband’s) parents was a pasta salad, and for whatever reason, it won them over and became a most-requested dish.

Pasta salads are also such a nice way to play around with seasonal vegetables, so you can change things up all year. Spring and summer are peak moments to scoop up the great produce at the farmers’ market, grab a box of pasta, and quickly turn all of it into a crowd-pleasing and easy side or main dish. I tend to pack in the vegetables, and the results are beautiful and nicely tilted toward the healthy side.

In this recipe, the asparagus and sugar snap peas get a bit more tender and keep their bright green color after a quick simmer, and the best part is that you can add them right into the pasta at the end of the cooking time; that saves a step and an extra pot.

If you chop the leafy greens, they will blend into the salad more, but sometimes I like to leave them whole and have the whole thing be kind of a cross between a pasta salad and a regular salad.

You can make this salad ahead of time, up to one day. Ideally, leave the arugula, spinach and basil out and add them right before serving. Adding the greens at the last minute keeps them from getting wilted and darkening. Also, hold off on the tomatoes: Tomatoes really should never see the inside of a refrigerator, and since you’ll have to refrigerate this salad to keep it fresh, tossing in the tomatoes at the very end will keep them from getting slightly mealy.

If you have made the salad ahead, let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes to take the chill off before serving, so the flavors all come shining through. Also, if you refrigerated the salad, the pasta will have absorbed the dressing a bit; add an extra drizzle of olive oil, and give it a toss to get it nice and glistening again.

Simple vegetarian spring pasta salad 25 minutes start to finish Serves 8

1 pound dried spiral pasta (or cavatappi, ziti, fusilli or other saladfriendly shaped pasta); 2 cups (8 ounces) halved sugar snap peas; 2 cups (1-inch pieces) asparagus; 2 cups baby or roughly chopped arugula; 2 cups baby or roughly chopped spinach; 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), finely diced; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or quarters if larger; 1/2 cup sliced scallions; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1/4 cup rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 1/2 cup chopped shallots; 1/2 cup slivered fresh basil; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but 1 minute before the pasta is tender, add the sugar snap peas and the asparagus. Cook for 1 minute, then drain the pasta and the vegetables and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

Place the pasta, sugar snap peas and asparagus in a bowl with the arugula, spinach, peppers, tomatoes and scallions.

In a small bowl or container, combine the olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, shallots, basil, salt and pepper. Pour this dressing over the pasta salad and toss well to combine. Add the Parmesan and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. (AP)