COOKING WITH CHEF ANDERSON: Have you ever wondered where the names of some restaurant dishes come from, Pear belle Helene, pavlova, crepe suzette, Caesar salad and many more.
They are of course named after famous people of their time, pavlova is named after a Russian ballerina, pear belle Helene after an Italian operetta and Caesar salad is named after!
Not the Roman emperor but a restauranteur Caesar Cardini , he came up with the recipe in the 1920’s when there was a shortage of ingredients, his recipe included romain lettuce, chopped garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg yolks (raw ), Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
Some say he added sliced anchovies to the salad but others think different and the fishy flavour actually came from the Worcester sauce.
To quote
“The big food rage in Hollywood—the Caesar salad—will be introduced to New Yorkers by Gilmore’s Steak House.
“It’s an intricate concoction that takes ages to prepare and contains (zowie!) lots of garlic, raw or slightly coddled eggs, croutons, romaine, anchovies, parmeasan [sic] cheese, olive oil, vinegar and plenty of black pepper.”
The salad stormed America due to the fact that it was tasty, easy to prepare, contained no meat which was scarce and Cardini prepared it at the table which made the elite of Hollywood feel special.
It’s very difficult to get the real Caesar dressing now, raw egg yolks are frowned upon when making salad dressings unless they are pasteurised first as they are in mayonnaise.
A few years ago I did work in a restaurant where the dressing was made to order in a blender but again you have to be careful.
The Caesar salad we serve is made with a variation on the classic recipe using fish sauce to give it the unique flavour and of course nowadays chicken is added to create a wonderful lunchtime special, fresh Parmesan and a wee bit of crispy bacon just for that added flavour.
I do add another secret ingredient but that’s my secret!!
When purchasing a Caesar sauce in the supermarket you have to be careful, the cheaper the sauce usually means an inferior flavour, this one time I bought a low calorie sauce and regretted every mouthful, when I read the ingredients it read in small print, “Buttermilk ” it was rotten, I can still taste it now!!
Go for the full fat version and go for a walk afterwards! It’s only a treat in fairness.
I love going online and looking up the origins of food, you will be amazed at where some of the ideas came from and how food had evolved over the years.
I follow a gentleman in America on snapchat AJ……@rollout925 who gives great food science advice in his snaps, great tips on food, cooking ideas and smoking food too, give him a follow if you’re interested.
So onto the recipe. This is a very quick and easy Caesar dressing.
You can use iceberg lettuce if you wish, I use the bags of mixed leaves as remain is hard to get in large quantities.
This recipe is a great lunch or evening meal treat, try to chill the dressing for a couple of hours and mix the salad just before serving as the leuttuce will go soggy if you mix it too early.
For four people – You will need the following:
200mls of real mayonnaise
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
Homemade or shop bought croutons, there are essential to add texture to the salad and they’re are so tasty with the dressing.
Pinch of ground black pepper.
Hot water to thin the mayonnaise.
Fresh Parmesan.
2 freshly roasted chicken fillets , allowed to cool slightly
2 bags of mixed leaves washed & dried.
8 cooked streaky bacon rashers ( crispy if possible and warm )
Method:
For the dressing:
In a bowl whisk the mayonnaise, fish sauce, garlic & pepper together.
Add a little hot water if needed to thin the dressing down to a double cream consistency.
Allow to chill for a couple of hours.
To assemble the salad.
In a large bowl add your leaves.
Slice your chicken breasts and add to the leaves , add the croutons & dressing and toss quickly.
Divide onto your plates.
Grate the fresh Parmesan on top and finish with the crispy bacon.
If you are coeliac simply leave out the croutons and add in some extra chopped peppers to give that crunchy texture.
Have a great weekend folks and please share this recipe if you wish.
