Caesarlicious delight

Roasted garlic veggie caesar

Sundays: A cookbook is a collection of fresh, modern recipes to celebrate that Sunday feeling through brunches, feasts, long lunches and quiet evenings. The book is full of laid-back food that’s absolutely packed with flavour and here’s one of those delicious recipes.

Roasted garlic veggie caesar salad is the GOAT, so of course I had to include one. My version includes roasted veg, lemony kale and roasted garlic to give incredible flavour to the dressing – plus croutons, OF COURSE. Anchovy-lover? It is, of course, legit to blitz as many as you like into the dressing.

Serves 2

Takes 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato or

½ butternut squash

1 red onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 fat garlic cloves

2 large slices of crusty bread

2 handfuls of kale

juice of ½ lemon (use the other half in the dressing below)

1 chicory (witlof) or small radicchio (I like the pink ones because they are beaut!)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE DRESSING

30g (1oz) vegetarian parmesan, plus extra to serve

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

juice of ½ lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7.

2. Leaving the skin on, cut the sweet potato or squash into medium-sized chunks. Cut the onion into 8 wedges. Toss the sweet potato or squash and onion in a roasting tray with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and plenty of seasoning, then spread into a single layer so the vegetables cook evenly. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil (leaving the skin on) and place on the tray. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the veg are soft and a little caramelised.

3. Cut the bread into large croutons. Place on a second roasting tray and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season well, then roast for 8–12 minutes until golden and crisp, flipping halfway. Set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, put the kale into a large bowl. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with a big pinch of salt, then use your hands to scrunch the lemon juice into the kale – this will help it soften. Separate the chicory or radicchio leaves, add these to the bowl too.

5. For the dressing, finely grate the cheese. Put into a blender or small food processor, along with the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Blitz to form a smooth, creamy dressing.

6. Unwrap the foil parcel of garlic and squeeze the cooked garlic cloves into the dressing, then blitz again to combine. Season to taste with salt and lots of black pepper. The dressing will be lacking a little acidity at this stage, but don’t worry, because you’re mixing it with the lemony kale!

7. Scrape the roasted veg into the bowl with the kale mix, then add the croutons and most of the dressing. Gently toss everything together to coat in the dressing, then divide between two plates. Drizzle the remaining dressing over each plate and serve with the extra cheese grated over as you like.

‘Images and text from Sundays by Sophie Godwin, photography by Caitlin Isola. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.’