Salads were once simply a matter of putting an iceberg lettuce together with some basic chopped cucumber and tomatoes. Now there is an array of salads that are much more interesting and are almost meals in themselves, like Caesar Salad.
Ingredients
- 3 anchovy fillets
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices white bread, sliced into strips
- 1 clove of garlic, cut in half (leave the skin on)
- 2 rashers of bacon, rind removed
- 1 cos lettuce, washed, dried and leaves separated
- some fresh parsley, chopped
- 40g parmesan cheese, shaved (if desired)
Method
- The first step is to make a really good dressing. If you don’t make your own mayonnaise, use whole egg mayonnaise because it’s not so highly flavoured and won’t overpower the flavours that you add to the dressing. Mash the anchovy fillets with the chopped garlic into a paste. Add the Dijon mustard to the paste and mash it together. Then add the wine vinegar for sharpness and flavour and stir that through. Add the whole egg mayonnaise with the water and black pepper and mix well. The dressing should have a pourable consistency.
- Prepare the other components before combining them to make the salad. Put the eggs into a saucepan and cover with warm water. As the water comes to the boil stir the eggs four or five times over the next minute. This will centre the yolks and make even proportions when sliced. Cook for six minutes for a soft yolk and eight minutes for a hard centre. When cooked, remove and drain the water. Cover with fresh cold water and allow to cool before shelling and cutting into quarters, lengthways. Put the strips of bread onto a grill plate that has been lightly brushed with olive oil. Grill on both sides until the strips are golden brown, then wipe the bread with the cut clove of garlic and set aside. Cook the bacon rashers on both sides, remove and cut into tiny pieces.
- Use the centre leaves for presentation. Take the outer leaves chop them up and place them in a serving bowl. Drizzle some of the dressing over the lettuce and toss. Arrange the centre leaves of the lettuce vertically around the sides of the serving bowl. Place the egg onto the lettuce and scatter the bacon over the egg. Then place the croutons on top and drizzle over the remainder of the dressing. Scatter shaved parmesan cheese over the salad if desired. Garnish with a scattering of parsley and some freshly ground black pepper.
(Serves two.)
