Caesar Broccolini
Decided to add to the Caesar trend with a refreshing way to enjoy one of my favorite brassicas.
Many people assume that broccolini is just baby broccoli. It’s actually a variety created from broccoli and a Chinese brassica called Gai Lan- giving it a milder taste than broccoli and but longer (and kinda sweeter) stems like it’s Asian cousin.
I have a pet peeve of dull veggies, so I always like to start off by cutting off 1 inch from the bottom on the stems and blanching the broccolini bunches for 2 minutes in hot water. This gives them the brightest color and makes finishing them on the stove easy. The key part is to make sure place anything you’re blanching in ice cold water immediately afterwards to stop the cooking process completely. Say no to mushy veggies.
Here’s my favorite go-to for an easy caesar dressing recipe. Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor, blender, or whisk in a medium bowl. If you’re going for a vegan dish, you can exchange the Mayo for vegan mayo or tahini, remove the anchovy paste and substitute Worcestershire for Liquid Aminos!
2 small Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tsp Anchovy Paste
3 tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh only
1½ tsp Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
A few dashes of Hot Sauce
1 cup Mayonnaise
½ tsp Capers
½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan
¼ tsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Black Pepper
What You Need:
3-4 bunches of Broccolini, washed and trimmed
2 tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp of Grapeseed Oil
¼ cup of Shallot, minced
¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ tsp Black Pepper
Juice from half of Lemon
Garlic Panko Breadcrumbs
1 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp of Butter
1 tbsp of Grapeseed Oil
2 tsp of Garlic Powder
Sea Salt, to taste
What to Do:
Bring a pot of water and a half of a lemon that you juiced to a rolling boil. While water is boiling, prep ice water for blanching and make breadcrumbs.
In a large skillet, place over medium heat and add butter and oil.
Once oil is heated, add breadcrumbs and stir until fully coated with oil.
Cook breadcrumbs until tasted and golden brown while stirring often to prevent burning. Season with garlic powder and sea salt. Place to side and allow to cool.
Your water should be ready now! Add the broccolini florets and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
Immediately place balanced broccolini in ice water. Remove after 2 minutes and allow to drain.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil at medium-high heat in a large skillet.
Add shallot and cook until fragrant.
Add balanced broccolini and cook evenly for about 3-5 minutes. This will depend on if you’re going for a crunch or not.
Season with black pepper and salt and lemon juice and turn the heat off.
Transfer broccolini to a dish or bowl and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before tossing in the Caesar dressing we made earlier.
Sprinkle garlic panko breadcrumbs and parmesan on top and enjoy!
Be sure to tag @elle.thefoodie in pics and share with friends!
