Mixed-leaf
Caesar Salad
This must be one of the
greatest salad recipes ever. It's traditionally made with Cos lettuce, but I
like a mixture of lettuce
and some crunchy rocket
leaves. What it can't take is anything too soft – only the crunchiest
leaves will do. The flavours are gutsy, so it's ideal for a summer lunch
outside or, in small portions, for a quite aristocratic but so-simple starter.
Serves : 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starter
Ingredients:
1 Small Cos Lettuce
1 Packet Prepared Crispheart Lettuce (or the Heart of a Webb's Wonder Lettuce)
1 Large Handful Rocket
Leaves
1 x 2oz / 50g Tin Anchovy
Fillets, drained (keep the oil and two of the fillets for the dressing)
1½oz / 40g Parmesan
(Parmigiano Reggiano),
finely grated
FOR THE
CROÛTONS:
2oz / 50g
White
Bread, crusts removed, cut into ⅓ inch / 8mm cubes
1 tbsp Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
1 Rounded tbsp Finely Grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
1 Clove Garlic,
crushed
FOR THE
DRESSING:
1 Large Egg
1 Clove Garlic
Juice 1 Lime
1 Heaped tsp Mustard
Powder
½ tsp Worcestershire
Sauce
5 floz / 150ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly
Milled Black Pepper
Instructions:
- Pre-heat
the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 350°F / 180°C.
- First
make the croûtons: place the cubes of bread
in a bowl together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1
rounded tablespoon of Parmesan plus
the crushed clove of garlic.
Stir and toss the bread round to get an even coating of cheese, oil and garlic, then
spread the croûtons out on the baking sheet and
bake them on a high shelf in the oven for 10 minutes. Please put a kitchen
timer on at this stage! I'm afraid I have burnt more croûtons
than I care to remember simply because the 10 minutes went so quickly!
When the buzzer goes, remove them from the oven and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile
make the dressing by breaking the egg into the bowl of
a food processor and adding the garlic (peeled but
not crushed), the lime
juice, and 2 of the anchovy fillets,
the mustard powder
and Worcestershire
sauce. Switch on and blend everything till smooth; then, keeping the
motor running, pour the olive oil and
anchovy oil (which can be combined in a jug first) through the feeder
funnel in a slow, steady stream.
- When
all the oil is in you should have a slightly thickened, emulsified sauce
with the consistency of pouring cream. Taste the dressing and season with
freshly milled black
pepper and salt
if it needs it.
- Now
arrange the salad leaves (breaking up the larger ones as you go) in a
large, roomy salad bowl.
- After
that snip the remaining anchovies and mix
to distribute them evenly among the leaves.
- When
you're ready to serve, pour over the dressing and toss very thoroughly to
coat all the leaves.
- Sprinkle
in 1½oz / 40g Parmesan,
toss again and finally scatter the croutons over the salad. Then either
portion it out or pass the bowl round for everyone to help themselves.
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