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As the executive chef of Portland’s De Noche, Dani Morales said she didn’t start experimenting with radicchio until she worked under chef Matt Sigler at the Italian restaurant Il Solito. As her career developed, so did her curiosity about other varieties of radicchio. Pulled toward the beautiful claret-red and pink-speckled varieties found at farmers markets, she began brainstorming about novel ways to use the bitter vegetable.
Derived from the Latin word for “root” (radix is also the source of radish and radical) radicchio is actually a type of chicory, just like escarole, frisée and Belgian endive. Like radicchio, the Caesar salad, too, came from the hands of an Italian only around a century ago — but was born in Tijuana, Mexico. Morales names her version for the salad’s inventor, chef/owner of Caesar’s, Caesar Cardini.
Here, chef Dani makes her mark on the classic salad by subbing a rich and velvety black garlic dressing for the punch of anchovies, a generous spoonful of Grana Padano (though a dry and crumbly Mexican cheese like cotija añejo would also be a solid choice) and adds a crumble of local, gourmet corn nuts instead of croutons. Another unique addition, salsa negra is an oil-based sauce; hers is nut-free, but most recipes include peanuts (making it almost identical to salsa macha). Feel free to use your favorite crunchy/oily chile crisp-type sauce. Serves 4
Note: This recipe includes raw egg. Consuming raw or undercooked eggs significantly increases the risk of foodborne illness including salmonella and avian flu. The recipe also makes more dressing than you’ll need for four servings, but it will keep for a week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Ingredients
Black garlic Caesar dressing
1 cup neutral oil, divided
3 small bulbs black garlic (or 6-7 cloves)
¼ serrano chile, seeds removed (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 egg yolk
Salt to taste
Salad
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 large head of castelfranco radicchio, quartered lengthwise
1 lemon
2 tablespoons salsa negra, salsa macha or chili crisp
2 tablespoons grated Grana Padano or other crumbly, salty, hard cheese
½ cup crushed corn nuts (such as Albina City toasted corn)
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a blender, combine ⅓ cup of the oil, the black garlic and serrano, and blend to a smooth paste. Add the egg yolk and blend until fully incorporated. With the blender running, slowly add the lemon juice and then add the remaining oil in a slow stream until you get a nice and thick dressing. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Sear the radicchio: Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over high heat until a wisp of smoke appears. Add two of the radicchio quarters and cook until they begin to brown and smell caramelized, about 1-2 minutes. Turn the radicchio gently with tongs and continue cooking until lightly seared on all sides. Remove the cooked radicchio and set aside on a cutting board, and repeat with the remaining two quarters.
- After the radicchio has cooled enough to handle, remove the cores with a sharp knife and transfer to a mixing bowl (try to keep the radicchio quarters intact). Add a drizzle (about 2 tablespoons) of the Caesar dressing, a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt, and gently toss to coat (again, keep the radicchio together if you can).
- To plate, add another swirl of the dressing to your serving platter, nestle the dressed radicchio quarters onto the swirl, spoon salsa negra over the top and finish with grated Grana Padano and crushed corn nuts.