Food & Wine USA - (02)February 2020

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Vegan Caesar Salad with

Chicories and Walnuts

TOTAL 25 MIN; SERVES 4

When Mariela Alvarez developed this salad

for Public Records in Brooklyn, she fla-

vored her creamy vegan Caesar dressing

with miso, lemon juice, and maple syrup.

Here, we toss jewel-toned chicories in the

umami-laden dressing and toast walnuts

in it, too, for a salty-sweet crunch. Use a

white or chickpea miso here—they’re fer-

mented for less time than stronger-tasting

red misos and won’t overpower the dish.

(^1) / 2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
(^1) / 4 cup white miso or chickpea miso
(such as Miso Master or South
River)
1 Tbsp. lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh
lemon juice
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. ground cumin
(^3) / 4 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp. chopped drained capers
6 cups mixed bitter greens (such as
white Belgian endive leaves and
roughly chopped radicchio and/or
escarole)
(^1) / 4 tsp. flaky sea salt
(^1) / 8 tsp. black pepper

1. Whisk together oil, miso, lemon zest
   and juice, maple syrup, and cumin just
   until blended.


2. Place walnuts in a small bowl; toss with

(^1) / 4 cup miso dressing. Transfer walnut
mixture to a large skillet, and cook over
medium, stirring often, until fragrant,
about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

3. Stir together capers and remaining^1 / 2
   cup miso dressing. Toss bitter greens and
   walnuts with 3 tablespoons (or to taste)
   miso-caper mixture, and season with salt
   and pepper. Divide salad evenly among 4
   plates.
   MAKE AHEAD Store prepared dressing in
   an airtight container in refrigerator up to
   3 days. Bring dressing to room
   temperature and stir before using.
   NOTE Look for white miso and chickpea
   miso in the refrigerated section of the
   produce department of your local
   supermarket or Asian grocery store.

FEBRUARY 2020

Winter Wonders Seasonal

chef recipes streamlined for

your dinner table

CHEF-INSPIRED

photograph by JOHN KERNICK

FOOD STYLING: CHELSEA ZIMMER; PROP STYLING: HEATHER CHADDUCK HILLEGAS