The classic Caesar salad is named after Caesar Cardini , the owner of a couple of restaurants in Mexico in the first half of the 20th century, and not Gaius Julius Caesar, as many might think.
But the Caesar salad's immense popularity worldwide pales in comparison to its popularity in North America. It's believed that Cardini invented the salad on July 4, 1924, American Independence Day.
In 1953, the recipe for Caesar salad with chicken and croutons was recognized by the Epicurean Society in Paris as "the best recipe to appear in America in the last 50 years."
The main highlight of the Caesar salad is its dressing - a special sauce created specifically for the Caesar salad.
The original Caesar salad is very light and is rarely found, as more calorie-dense ingredients are added to the recipe. Its immense popularity has led to the emergence of many variations of this salad, the most popular of which is the shrimp Caesar salad.
Ingredients:
1. Romaine lettuce - one head (can be replaced with a bunch of leaf lettuce)
2. Eggs - 1-2 pcs.
3. Chicken - 250-300 gr.
4. White bread - half a loaf
5. Olive oil
6. Garlic - 3 cloves
7. Grated Parmesan - 40 gr.
8. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons
9. Vinegar - one teaspoon is enough
10. Mustard (2 teaspoons), salt, pepper
Method of preparation:
· Pass 1 clove of garlic through a garlic press (fine chopping is possible).
Mix 5 tablespoons of olive oil and pressed (not finely chopped) garlic and let it sit for 15 minutes (preferably a couple of hours). We'll need this for making the croutons.
· Prepare the sauce:
- grind the yolks with mustard
- add squeezed garlic, stir
- add lemon juice and vinegar
- add olive oil
- add salt, pepper, mix well
- put it in the refrigerator to infuse
· Cut the bread into cubes (it’s better to use yesterday’s bread, but not stale bread – you can see it in stores more often than fresh bread).
· Fry the bread cubes in oil with garlic until golden brown, stirring over high heat.
· Cut the chicken into small cubes, add salt, pepper and fry.
· Grate the cheese.
· Rinse the lettuce leaves with water, dry them, tear them by hand and place them on the bottom of the salad bowl.
Place croutons and chicken on the salad.
· Pour our sauce over it.
· Sprinkle with Parmesan.
For a change, garnish with cherry tomatoes and sliced hard-boiled eggs. When making the sauce, you can use oregano and basil.
Caesar salad should be served immediately after preparation to enjoy its true flavor. Now you know how to make a classic Caesar salad—the most famous chicken salad.
