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| Ceasar Awaits! |
So before you turn away, call me mad and what not, why don't you join me, as I walk you through making, easily and on the cheap one of my favourite salad. [As a side-note, it is indeed very good for you too].
Ceasar Salad:
For this salad, I will teach you how to make your own garlic croutons. Do not fret, it is easy as slicing through a loaf of bread.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of bread
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
- 9 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin please)
- 1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 heads lettuce (any one you like. Tradition though calls for Romaine)
- 2 pinches black pepper(freshly ground)
- 1 lemon, juiced(freshly squeezed)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup grated cheese (Parmesan is the real order of the day but if you are going to use pre-grated stuff from a store bought package, you might as well as skip it and use any other hard cheese of your choice)
Directions
For the Croutons:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut 1/2 to 3/4-inch croutons from the loaf of bread.
3. Place on a baking sheet and put into the oven until dry but not browned. Take them out of the oven.
4. Using a mortar and a pestle mash the garlic with 4 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Strain the oil into a skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the dried croutons and fry, tossing constantly until all of the oil is absorbed and the croutons turn gold. Set aside.Your croutons are done.
At this stage you can either use it for the salad or you can allow them to cool off completely, put them in a ziploc bag and store it in the fridge for later use.
Putting it Together:
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the eggs and cook for 1 minute. Chill in ice water to halt cooking. Set aside.
This process is known as coddling. It means they are only partially cooked. Poaching in fact is a very specific coddling method.
Though partially cooked, these eggs still present a Salmonella risk (the odds are very low but still) so use eggs that are freshest.
2. In a very large bowl, tear lettuce.
I say tear and not cut with a knife. The reason being, when you tear a leaf, you do not destroy the integrity of the cells of the leaves. So the leaves do not look bruised and sad.
3. Toss the leaves with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and black pepper. Add the remaining olive oil. Toss well. Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Break in the eggs. Toss until a creamy dressing forms. Toss in Parmesan cheese and serve with croutons.
Note: This is the basic recipe. If you are so inclined, you can always build on this and add things like boiled chicken, boiled egg and any other thing that you fancy eating.
Though I like mine without anything else to muddle the flavours.
Enjoy!
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut 1/2 to 3/4-inch croutons from the loaf of bread.
3. Place on a baking sheet and put into the oven until dry but not browned. Take them out of the oven.
4. Using a mortar and a pestle mash the garlic with 4 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Strain the oil into a skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the dried croutons and fry, tossing constantly until all of the oil is absorbed and the croutons turn gold. Set aside.Your croutons are done.
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| Garlic home-made Croutons taste like heaven |
At this stage you can either use it for the salad or you can allow them to cool off completely, put them in a ziploc bag and store it in the fridge for later use.
Putting it Together:
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the eggs and cook for 1 minute. Chill in ice water to halt cooking. Set aside.
This process is known as coddling. It means they are only partially cooked. Poaching in fact is a very specific coddling method.
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| Always buy freshest, cleanest eggs in small batches |
Though partially cooked, these eggs still present a Salmonella risk (the odds are very low but still) so use eggs that are freshest.
2. In a very large bowl, tear lettuce.
I say tear and not cut with a knife. The reason being, when you tear a leaf, you do not destroy the integrity of the cells of the leaves. So the leaves do not look bruised and sad.
3. Toss the leaves with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and black pepper. Add the remaining olive oil. Toss well. Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Break in the eggs. Toss until a creamy dressing forms. Toss in Parmesan cheese and serve with croutons.
Note: This is the basic recipe. If you are so inclined, you can always build on this and add things like boiled chicken, boiled egg and any other thing that you fancy eating.
Though I like mine without anything else to muddle the flavours.
Enjoy!