It is unlikely that the creator of the famous Caesar salad would have suggested that a quick-cooked snack made from leftover foods would ever become famous around the world. Many people associate the legendary dish with the name of the Roman dictator Guy Julius Caesar, but the former consul has nothing to do with it.
Pick your recipe
What does Caesar have to do with it?
Tasty and satisfying Caesar salad is now included in the obligatory menu of many restaurants in different countries. Typically, it contains lettuce (Roman salad, romaine), cheese and croutons. The rest of the ingredients vary: chicken, turkey, anchovies, tuna, eggs, tomatoes, shrimp and so on, as far as the imagination of the cooks is enough.
The name of the salad for many is associated with the most famous Caesar - the ancient Roman politician, who, according to legend, was famous for his ability to do many things at the same time. However, it is unlikely that the consul also cut salads for himself and the guests, although it is known that he liked to eat, he especially respected the pork neck with apples.
It is believed that a salad called Caesar was invented by an American of Italian origin Cesare (Caesar) Cardini. Moreover, many modern recipes are far from the original ideas of a talented cook and restaurateur.
Roman dictator has nothing to do with the namesake salad
Prohibition and discovery of Caesar Cardini
Cardini had Caesar's Place restaurant on Mexican territory in Tahuana near San Diego, which allowed American visitors to order alcohol and circumvent the U.S. law of the 30s. According to legends (and Caesar salad became legendary), once a large number of visitors came to the Cesare restaurant to celebrate American Independence Day. It was July 4, 1924 - the date that became the birthday of the famous dish.
Cardini served as a chef in his establishment. He did not expect a large influx of visitors and did not calculate the number of products in the kitchen and pantry. At some point, it was necessary to prepare a quick snack for customers from what is. All grocery stores in the area have already been closed.
It is said that a savvy cook served an unpretentious but spicy salad that day. The restaurant visitors liked it so much that it soon became public domain. Caesar Cardini patented the salad under the brands “Cardini” and “Original Caesar”, and in 1953 its creation was recognized by the Paris Epicurean Society as the best recipe for the last half century.
The main "highlight" of the classic "Caesar" - eggs with olive oil
Original Caesar Salad
Preserved recipe for the very first Caesar salad that Cardini offered its guests. According to culinary magazines, the dish was light, dietary, and did not include any meat or fish ingredients. The enterprising chef used the available greens, bread, cheese, lemon, Worcester sauce, garlic and the main highlight of the salad was dressing from olive oil and specially prepared eggs.
A step-by-step recipe for a classic Caesar salad is conveyed by history. The dish was grated with peeled garlic heads, after which the leaves of lettuce were laid out in it. The green base was sprinkled with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Caesar Cardini boiled the eggs for a minute, took them out of boiling water and let them stand for ten minutes in the room. I broke some of the eggs into a salad, and set aside some for dressing. Next, grated Parmesan, an assortment of chopped spicy greens, among which was basil, was added to the dish. For satiety - toasted cubes of white croutons. Finishing touches: some Worcester sauce for piquancy and quickly mixed dressing with eggs and olive oil.
Modern Caesar Salad Options Include Chicken, Fish, and Seafood
Modern Caesar Salad Recipes
Over time, the calorie content of the popular Caesar salad increased: the cooks began to add mayonnaise, chicken breasts, and turkey to it. To diversify the dish with anchovies, Caesar Cardini's brother, Alex, also offered. Modern home and professional recipes may include shrimp, tuna, salmon, cherry tomatoes, tongue, herring, bacon, baked chicken, mushrooms, smoked salmon, guinea fowl, crab claws and other ingredients.
Despite the availability of store-bought mayonnaise and other sauces, real gourmets still recommend home-made dressings: homemade mayonnaise or a classic mixture of olive oil and eggs - Cardini's culinary trick.
To get the original Caesar flavor, it’s important to remove the eggs from the refrigerator and hold at room temperature for a couple of hours, in extreme cases, put them in salted water at a temperature of 30 ° C for a minute.
Salad today appears in many variations, this is confirmed by step-by-step descriptions of recipes, photos and videos on the Internet, in cooking magazines. Some sites are even entirely devoted to the brainchild of an American restaurateur. Here are just some of the popular salad recipes that you can easily make at home.
Caesar Salad with anchovies
Dice a few pieces of white bread crumb and fry croutons in vegetable oil on both sides until browned. While they are cooling, scroll in a blender a raw chicken egg, chopped garlic clove, 6 anchovy fillets, 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and half a teaspoon of mustard.
During mixing, pour 3/4 cup olive oil in a thin stream. When a homogeneous light substance is obtained in the blender bowl, put the lettuce leaves from one swing on the salad bowl by hand. Grate half a glass of parmesan, mix half the cheese with croutons, lettuce and homemade sauce, pour the remaining parmesan on top.
Caesar salad with chicken
Boil two chicken breast fillet in salted water, cool and chop. In a blender, scroll a raw egg, crushed garlic clove, a few slices of anchovies, half a glass of olive or sunflower oil. Before the end of the agitation, pour another half a glass of vegetable oil into the substance, add salt, pepper, as well as a teaspoon of Worcester sauce and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to taste.
Mix half a glass of vegetable oil with a couple of crushed garlic subchikov, a pinch of salt, then pour the chopped baguette with the mixture and bake crackers on a baking sheet in the oven for 5 minutes at 200 ° C. Divide 200 g of Parmesan into halves, one grate, the second cut into cubes.
Mix the leaves of one head of Roman salad with cubes of cheese cooked in a blender dressing, put chicken breast and crackers on top, sprinkle cheese.