Caesar Salad-Salad For Carnivores
September 10th 2008 12:57
Caesar Cardini, an Italian born Mexican, is credited with inventing the Caesar salad in 1924. The original recipe is lost in time but it is believed anchovies were not included. Remaining records indicate that ingredients included Cos (Romaine) lettuce, croutons and parmesan cheese dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, and topped with coddled egg.
In the following recipe and step by step pictures I demonstrate a modern version that is generally served in Australian restaurants. It is comprised of Cos lettuce, croutons, cooked bacon bits and parmesan cheese, dressed with garlic and anchovy flavoured mayonnaise.
When presenting Caesar salad as a stand alone dish or salad course, it is usually topped with a coddled or poached egg and some whole anchovies. I am serving it as an accompaniment to a fish dish so I have omitted the egg.
Method
Wash half a Cos lettuce and allow it to drain.
Cut two rashers of bacon into the desired size and dry fry them.
The croutons can be pan fried, deep fried, toasted, roasted or baked. I have merely toasted a slice of bread and cut it into 1cm squares.
Mash an anchovy on the chopping board with a fork. Combine it with 1/4 teaspoon of crushed garlic (not depicted) and 30ml mayonnaise. Thin with a little water if necessary.
Reserve several of the best lettuce leaves for presentation, and break the rest up into a bowl with your hands. Cutting them with a knife encourages oxidization, causing them to discolour sooner.
Add the croutons, bacon and cheese to the bowl.
Drizzle some of the dressing over all and mix the salad briefly.
Arrange the presentation leaves and top with the salad mix.
Decorate the Caesar salad with a sprinkle of cheese and another drizzle of dressing.
Postscript: The lettuce depicted in these photos was homegrown in my culinary garden.
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