Broccoli salad with walnuts and garlic-tahini dressing

Whenever I’m having people over for a buffet/family-style meal, I map out my menu by first deciding what the main protein will be. For brunch, it’s always a frittata. For dinner, it’s usually boeuf bourguignon. This past weekend, my parents came over for an early dinner and I decided to make oven-poached salmon. Along with it, whole wheat pesto pasta and sauteed kale. I wanted to make another side dish and knew it would have to be something bright and crunchy - enter this broccoli salad. Brightness from lemon juice, crunch from broccoli and toasted walnuts, and a base note of mellowed garlic.

This salad goes perfectly with fish and chicken. It may seem like the recipe has a lot of steps but you may blanch the broccoli and toast the walnuts a few hours ahead.

Broccoli salad with walnuts and garlic-tahini dressing
(Yield: 4 servings)
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup walnut halves
• Sea salt
• 3 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 1 Tbsp. tahini
• Freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:
1. Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil.
2. In the meantime, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and browned around the edges, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove garlic from oil and drain on a paper towel. Set oil aside to cool.
3. Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Roughly chop walnuts once cooled.
4. Add broccoli to salted boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water. Drain broccoli once it is completely cooled.
5. To make dressing, combine garlic oil, lemon juice, mustard, tahini, and salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Place half of broccoli into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining broccoli. (You may also chop the broccoli manually.) Add walnuts and garlic chips to the bowl and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.