A rustic Caesar salad with tahini dressing, rye bread croutons and Västerbottensost

I love salads, and especially rustic hearty ones that make you feel good and have you stay full for several hours. This fall I partnered with Västerbottenost (a Swedish aged hard cheese) to create a recipe suitable for wintry (Christmas) gatherings. And this rustic salad is my contribution to the collection of 20 fantastic recipes using Västerbottensost.

Find my recipe in Swedish here, along with many other inspiring fellow bloggers’/foodies’ recipes. Explore the Västerbottens cheese site or Instagram #magipå20 for more ideas and recipes.

A rustic Caesar salad with tahini dressing, rye bread croutons and Västerbottensost

serves 4-6

2/3 cup beluga lentils + 1 1/4 cup water
8 romaine salad leaves, rinsed and roughly chopped
8 kale leaves, rinsed de-stemmed and finely chopped
2 pears, cut into cubes or wedges
1/2 cup dried cranberries
l/2 cup walnut halves
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4 slices rye bread + 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
Västerbotten cheese, shaved

Tahini dressing
4 tbsp tahini
5-6 tbsp water
juice from 1 lemon
2-3 tsp flaxseed oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Västerbotten cheese, finely grated

1) Put all ingredients (except the cheese) for the dressing in a blender and blend well. Add the grated cheese and store the dressing in a bowl or bottle in the fridge until using.
2) Rinse the lentils well and cook in 1 1/4 cup water with lid on for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool in the pot (lid on), this way they keep their consistency and shape better. Once cool, drain well and set aside.
3) Preheat the oven to 150° C (300° F). Spread the walnut halves out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 5-10 minutes, until fragrant and crispy. Let cool.
4) Cut the rye bread into cubes and fry in rapeseed oil in a skillet until fragrant and crispy.
5) Put all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl and make sure everything is well mixed. Drizzle the tahini dressing over the salad and finish with the croutons and shaved Västerbotten’s cheese.

TIP! If you find it difficult to digest raw kale you can rub it with lemon and oil, or let it “soak” for a while in the tahini dressing prior to using.
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This post is sponsored by Västerbottensost and as always, photos and words by me.

Black enamel prep set from Falcon available at Babyssimo shop