An oft-overlooked salad ingredient, celery adds lots of crunch to this bitter, mixed-chicories riff on the classic Caesar.
Ingredients
1 cup torn bread
6 stalks celery
6 anchovy fillets, minced (rinsed, if salt-packed)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1 lemon
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for croutons
4 cups mixed chicories, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
Aleppo pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 400ËšF.
Toss torn bread with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a sheet pan, and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp on the outside, but slightly chewy in the middle.
Slice celery thinly on a mandolin or with a chef’s knife. Transfer to a bowl of ice water and soak for 20 minutes. Drain well.
For the dressing, pulse anchovies, Parmesan, and garlic in a food processor to combine. Add lemon juice. With the motor running, slowly stream in olive oil until the dressing looks emulsified.
In a bowl, combine the drained celery and chicories. Add some of the dressing, season with salt and pepper, and toss to evenly distribute. Taste, adding more dressing, salt, and/or pepper, as desired.
To finish, add croutons to salad and toss to combine. Plate and finish with more Parmesan, a glug of olive oil, and Aleppo pepper (if using).
