Culinary SOS: Lodge Bread reveals the secret to vegan Caesar salad
I am besotted with the vegan caesar at Lodge Bread in Culver City. Lodge is always my first stop when I’m visiting my parents, and I miss the salad almost as much as I miss them when I leave L.A. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I would eat this salad every day if I could. How do they build such a well balanced and addictive salad?Classic Caesar salads rely on the umami punch of Parmesan and anchovies and on the fattiness of eggs for a creamy dressing.
Although the dressing comes together in minutes, it gets even better after a day or two in the fridge. In that chill time, the flavors meld and umami deepens into a truer Caesar. Because this mix is vegan, it keeps well in the fridge for a whole week.At Lodge, the romaine comes speckled with parsley and dill. The herbs add a nice, fresh bite, but skip them if you prefer a typical Caesar. And if you’re OK with cheese, swap the final sprinkle of nutritional yeast for Parmesan shavings.
Drizzle the dressing over the romaine in a very large bowl. Toss with your hands until evenly coated. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and cracked black pepper, then top with the croutons and herbs if using. Serve immediately.AdvertisementHomemade croutons taste way better than store-bought. They take time to bake but little effort to put together. And they don’t require exact measurements: crisp up as many or as few as you’d like and adjust the other quantities as needed.
Put the pan on a rack and push all the bread cubes together so they’re touching. Drizzle evenly with olive oil so all the cubes are lightly coated but not drenched. Toss the cubes to even out the oil coating and spread out again. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let them go to dark golden brown if you prefer extra-crunchy croutons with a dark-toast taste. Just don’t let them burn.
Immediately sprinkle the croutons with salt and pepper and toss to even out the seasonings. Cool completely on the pan on a wire rack.Los Angeles Times Food videosOn NowJenn discovers the secrets to making scientifically perfect fried chicken | The Bucket List13:51
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