Caesar Salad

This first appeared in the Evening Herald HQ supplement on the 26th February 2009.

Caesar Salad is the classic American Salad and appears on a huge percentage of restaurant menus. Sadly it is usually pretty awful thanks to laziness and cheap ingredients.

Caesar Salad is said to have been created in Tijuana by Caesar Cardini who was forced to invent the dish to cope with a rush of extra customers on July 4th weekend in 1924.

A true (quality) Caesar Salad must be made using raw egg in the dressing (as you would for homemade mayonnaise), the lettuce must be Cos lettuce and the Parmesan must be fresh grated Parmesan.

In US restaurants the salad is often made at the table with elaborate ritual as garlic cloves are rubbed around the bowl and the dressing is emulsified and the salad tossed in front of you; partly for theatrical effect but also to prove that it was freshly made.

Once you taste a good version like this one you will be very wary of ordering it in an Irish restaurant again.

Feel free to omit the sautéed chicken which is neither necessary nor traditional.

First cut 2 chicken breasts into thin slices and marinate in a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, a dash of Tabasco and some salt and pepper. Coat the chicken in the dressing and leave to marinate for 20 minutes or longer.

Wash 1 medium head of Cos lettuce and tear into strips. Mash a large clove of garlic with the blade of a knife and add to a pestle and mortar with a tsp. of Dijon mustard, a tbs of lemon juice, an egg yolk, a dash of Worchester sauce and 5 anchovy fillets. Pound until you have a smooth paste. Gradually add 100-125ml of olive oil, whisking all the time with a small whisk until you have a thick creamy dressing.

Make some croûtons by frying cubes of white bread in oil until browned and rub each cube with a cut garlic clove.

Sauté the chicken pieces in very hot oil until browned.

To finish the salad toss the leaves coat them generously with the dressing. Top with lots and lots of shaved Parmesan (use a potato peeler), the chicken pieces, the croûtons, and some extra anchovy fillets.