Apple Caesar Salad with Roasted Pistachios
Oh my goodness, where do I even begin with this salad? Okay, let’s start with the back story. I’ve been wanting to make this salad for ~2 years. Why haven’t I? Not sure. It would always cross my mind, but then I would forget about. For some reason it never made it onto my long running list of “recipe ideas” on the notes app on my phone. I first had this salad when I was back in Kentucky a couple of years ago. I met up with an old college roommate in Louisville and she took me to a hip new (at the time) restaurant, Bar Vetti. It was in such a cute area, and from what I remember all of the food was really good. Especially the cobb Caesar salad. It was different than most Caesar salads because the dressing was made with apples. Such a simple twist that was so good! I’ve made my own Caesar dressing before and I knew that I wanted to try this version. Again, why it took me two years to execute?! Not sure, but it’s here and it’s great. You can find the video for this recipe here.
Greek yogurt - Plain Greek yogurt is the base of this and I recommend using a full fat yogurt. It gives it more flavor and a better consistency in my opinion.
Anchovy paste - Quite literally the only time I ever use anchovy paste is if I make homemade Caesar dressing, it’s just a must.
Stoneground mustard - I personally like the sophisticated taste of stoneground mustard in a recipe like this.
Lemon juice and olive oil - Two musts in many salad dressings.
Garlic - I’m going to throw garlic in almost any recipe I can, so of course you’ll find it in this dressing. It adds a good flavor!
Parmesan cheese - Caesar dressing just isn’t the same without it. Use fresh shaved for best taste!
Dried apple chips - Okay you guys… this is the ingredient that makes this dressing unique! The dried apples add a fun flavor you didn’t know you needed in a Caesar dressing.
Roasted pistachios - To really tie everything together you’ve got to top the salad with roasted pistachios. When I was making them my husband couldn’t resist coming downstairs to ask what smelled so good. He then proceeded to ask if roasting them made “that big of a difference” in the flavor. He tasted both and agreed roasting them really brings out their notes!
Apple Caesar Salad with Roasted Pistachios
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tsp stone ground mustard
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese
- 1 cup dried apple chips
- 2 tbsp water
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- 1/2 cup peeled pistachios
- Parmesan cheese
- Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Place pistachios on a baking sheet and roast for 4 minutes. Stir them around and then bake for 4 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into small pieces.
- For the dressing combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Wash the heads of romaine lettuce, and then cut in half lengthwise. Place inside up on a large platter (I used an armetale platter and refrigerated it before hand).
- Drizzle with dressing, add pistachio crumbles, top with fresh parmesan cheese, and some cracked black pepper. Best served immediately!