Homemade Caesar Salad

Classic Caesar Salad

This is a ‘must have’ in all of our cooking handbooks. Everyone loves Caesar Salad! Why spend the extra $$ buying pre-made sauces that are full of sugar, calories and god knows what else when it is so much healthier and cost effective to make your own.  Try this – you’ll never buy store bought again.

Ingredients:

-        2-3 slices of bacon (*optional)

-        1x small package of pre-made salad croutons OR you can make your own – you’ll only need 2 pieces of sliced bread of your choosing

-        1x head of Romain Lettuce (medium size)

-        2 egg yolks (save the whites for an egg white omelet!)

-        1 tsp dijon mustard

-        1-2 cloves of fresh garlic - finely chopped

-        1 tsp capers – chopped

-        2x anchovy fillets- finely chopped (seriously… don’t be afraid of this! Anchovies provide important flavour necessary to Caesar Salad. As a bonus they add protein and they add natural salt flavours so you don’t need to add as much salt – great for those that are sodium conscious! You CAN omit this but I strongly suggest that you don’t. Your salad will not taste ‘fishy’ (I promise!). You’ll taste the difference of it being there….equally, you’ll taste the difference if it’s not and wonder what is missing

-        2-3x heaping Tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese

-        Juice from ½ of one Lemon

-        2-3 Tbsp of Olive Oil (+/-)

-        Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

-        - Wash and chop Romain Lettuce leaves into bite sized pieces. Leave in a colander in the sink until fully dry. Pat with paper towel or a tea towel if needed (wet leaves won’t absorb the dressing!) Reserve until needed

-       -  If making bacon bits – fry bacon slices in a medium sized fry pan on med-low heat until cooked. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on paper towel. Once cool – crunch or chop into small pieces. Reserve until needed

-      -  If making your own croutons – cut bread into approx. 1” cubes. Using the bacon fat and the same frying pan you just made the bacon in, gently fry the bread cubes on med-low heat stirring constantly until lightly browned. If there was not enough bacon fat you can add a small amount of butter and olive oil to help with browning. Remove from pan and place on paper towel. Reserve until needed.

-       -  Separate egg yolks and place in bottom of the salad bowl you plan to serve in (preferably wooden but stainless steel will do if that’s all you have *making the dressing in the serving bowl  is the best method (alternatively you can make the dressing in a separate bowl/container for later use but unless making the dressing in advance of wanting to use it or making for a smaller party than the serving suggestions mentioned and wanting to reserve remaining, using the bowl you plan to serve it in is best *see why in Assembly instructions below

-      -   Add Dijon mustard, finely chopped garlic, chopped capers and chopped anchovy fillets to egg yolks and combine until well blended

-       -  Add Lemon juice and stir to combine

-        - While continuing to stir, slowly add olive oil so that it combines and does not separate

-        - Add 2tbsp of parmesan cheese (+/-) (reserve the remaining parmesan for the end) – stir vigorously to combine (dressing should be thick with a creamy consistency – if too thin add a bit more parmesan cheese – if too thick add a bit more olive oil)

-       -  Add salt and pepper to taste (be mindful that anchovies are cured in salt so less salt should be needed).

Assembly:

Making a salad sounds simple but when it comes to Caesar Salad the assembly is critical. Normally when we make a salad we assemble the lettuce and all of its ingredients and pour the dressing on top. NOT SO when making Caesar Salad!! You want all of the lettuce to be equally touched with dressing when making this salad - it makes all the difference. This is when Caesar Salad is best – evenly coated and not soggy (which is common). Building the salad from the dressing up (instead of the other way around) is the key!

The dressing is ready in the bottom of your bowl. Start adding handfuls of the chopped Romaine Lettuce and stir with tongs to incorporate so that all are evenly coated with dressing before adding the next handful. If you feel your salad is looking too saturated add more lettuce.

-        Once lettuce is evenly coated and ready to serve, add bacon bits, croutons and sprinkle reserved parmesan cheese and toss lightly with tongs.

-        Crack fresh pepper to taste

-        Serve and enjoy

Serves 8

·       *  If desired, you can easily add sautéed garlic shrimp or grilled chicken or even grilled steak slices if wanting to make this a main course.

·       ** For added interest (or for those not wanting bacon) add thinly sliced radish for added crunch and flavour. YUM!