One DELICIOUS and EASY SUMMER SALAD, Plus HOMEMADE Caesar Dressing Tricks
Well, this was a timely little coincidence: I’m writing about all the demands of summer and wanting to spend more time messing around in the kitchen and what shows up in my IN BOX but an email on a fast and easy summer pasta salad that also happens to be incredibly delicious.
“Delicious” and “easy” belong together, don’t you think? Here’s what the recipe author had to say about it:
“This is a summery, easy-prep pasta salad with all your favorites: rotisserie chicken, homemade Caesar dressing, ciabatta croutons, fusilli pasta, and lots of freshly grated Parmesan. It comes together in just one big salad bowl, and can be made in advance to bring to the beach, on a picnic, to a reunion potluck, or to have in the fridge to snack on whenever hunger strikes. Since it makes a big batch, it’s also perfect for summer BBQs and entertaining.” Ohhh, this is what we’re looking for!
By the way, if you’ve feared making your own Caesar dressing because of the high possibility of breaking the emulsification, read on for some tricks that will guarantee a nice, thick dressing without a lot of muss and fuss. Emulsifying olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolks couldn’t be easier!
Nea Arentzen, test kitchen pro for www.food52.com generously shares her Ceasar dressing tips so we never need worry about making it, ever again:
- To create a thick, flavorful base for the dressing, mince the garlic and anchovies separately, then combine them on the cutting board and mince and press them together into a paste (alternately, use a mortar and pestle).
- Add salt and pepper to your egg, and blast it with a fast whip, then add your lemon juice while it is still whipping. The Dijon mustard helps bind ingredients.
- Slowly incorporate your oil. If you think you’re going slow enough, go even slower. The slow addition of the oil allows for it to fluff and thicken, which helps emusify.
- Mix in a chilled or frozen bowl with a chilled whip or beaters; this facilitates thickening. If ingredients and tools aren’t cold, your dressing likely won’t thicken. Temperature is very important.
- Use a damp kitchen towel to hold your bowl in place while whisking the olive oil into the salad dressing. Wrap it into a circle on the counter, then place the bowl at an angle on top
- Make the dressing a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. (This recipe makes about 1½ cups of dressing. You can halve it if needed or store the leftovers in the fridge for later use—it will keep for up to a week).
Finally, here for our summer dining pleasure is Nea’s EASY pasta salad and dressing recipe. Be sure to include this in your Cook’n collections—this is definitely a keeper!
Rotisserie Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad
CAESAR DRESSING
4 cloves garlic very finely minced
4 anchovies very finely minced
3 egg yolk
2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
SALAD
10 ounces fusilli pasta (about 4 cups)
kosher salt to taste
4 cups ciabatta torn into 2-inch pieces [Alice: OR consider focaccia bread for this]
4 cups Romaine lettuce (about 1 head), chopped
1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese plus more for grating over salad top
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Make the pasta. Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until al dente according to the package (about 10 minutes). Drain the pasta, then toss with a light drizzle of oil and set it aside to cool.
2. Make the dressing. While the pasta cooks and cools, in a large bowl, whisk to combine the minced garlic and anchovy (see tip in headnote), egg yolks, Dijon, and lemon juice. While continuously whisking, very slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil into the bowl. If you notice any olive oil that isn’t mixed in, pause and whisk it in until combined. Continue with the remaining olive oil until the dressing has reached a thick consistency. Stir in the Parmesan, then add the salt and season with a generous amount of black pepper. Spread the torn ciabatta out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, tossing halfway through, about 10 minutes.
3. Make the salad. To the bowl with the Caesar dressing, add the cooled pasta, lettuce, rotisserie chicken, toasted ciabatta pieces, the shaved Parmesan, and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Chill the Caesar pasta salad in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer it to a serving plate or bowl, then garnish with more grated Parmesan and black pepper before serving.
2. Make the dressing. While the pasta cooks and cools, in a large bowl, whisk to combine the minced garlic and anchovy (see tip in headnote), egg yolks, Dijon, and lemon juice. While continuously whisking, very slowly pour a thin stream of olive oil into the bowl. If you notice any olive oil that isn’t mixed in, pause and whisk it in until combined. Continue with the remaining olive oil until the dressing has reached a thick consistency. Stir in the Parmesan, then add the salt and season with a generous amount of black pepper. Spread the torn ciabatta out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, tossing halfway through, about 10 minutes.
3. Make the salad. To the bowl with the Caesar dressing, add the cooled pasta, lettuce, rotisserie chicken, toasted ciabatta pieces, the shaved Parmesan, and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Chill the Caesar pasta salad in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Transfer it to a serving plate or bowl, then garnish with more grated Parmesan and black pepper before serving.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
