This is a summer version of the plant-based Caesar salad in my cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet, which I cooked at St Ives Food Festival this year. In this recipe I cook the seasonal leaves, vegetables and croutons directly on barbecue coals. This technique is called ‘dirty’ cooking and is perfect for charring the salad ingredients without over cooking them. The flavour of the ingredients is intensified by the heat becoming sweet, complimenting the bitter charred exterior.
Keep a pair of tongs handy to turn the ingredients quickly if necessary. Brush off any coals that cling to the ingredients but don’t worry about a little ash here and there, it won’t effect the flavour.
This dish is a crowdpleaser and a really fun way to shake up the meat-centric barbecue norm. Experiment with whatever seasonal vegetables you have to hand but remember hard root vegetables will take longer to cook. Cut them thinly or consider par-boiling them to speed up the process. If you want to add potatoes, I suggest using new potatoes, boiling them until soft, then cutting them in half before charring them.
For the dressing
For the salad
Make the Caesar dressing in advance. First combine the aquafaba, garlic, capers and nutritional yeast, if using, in a food processor and blitz together. Keeping the motor running, carefully pour in the extra virgin olive oil through the feeder tube in a very slow, steady stream, just like mayonnaise. After a couple of minutes, when the consistency is as thick as double cream, stop adding the oil and blend in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
Light the BBQ, allow the coals to heat up and turn white, then spread them out. Place the vegetables and sliced bread directly on the coals. As they char, turn them over. If the coals are hot, one to three minutes each side should be plenty of time. Aim to char the ingredients whilst keeping them raw and firm inside.
For an elegant plate serve the vegetables whole or for a big shared salad chop them up onto a big sharing platter. Cut the toast into long batons and scatter over the top. When you are ready to eat, finish with a generous drizzle of the dressing and crushed walnuts and serve immediately.
Serve immediately, topped with a generous grating of walnuts and a sprinkling of kala namak or sea salt.
By TOM HUNT
Tom's manifesto, 'Root to Fruit' demonstrates how we can all become part of the solution, supporting a delicious, biodiverse and regenerative food system, giving us the skills and knowledge to shop, eat and cook sustainably, whilst eating healthier, better-tasting food for no extra cost.
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