Caesar Salad - General Cooking Principles
Caesar Salad, one of the most beloved dishes of all Americans and Europeans, has been almost a hundred years old. The original salad recipe remained in history, but the best chefs still managed to recreate this culinary masterpiece as accurately as possible. The whole charm of the salad lies in a specially prepared sauce, which was invented by the creator of the dish, Caesar Cardini. He believed that the eggs reach the desired taste and consistency only when boiled in boiling water (but without the boiling process) for one minute, and then kept them for another 13-15 minutes at room temperature. The principle of preparation of the traditional Caesar is very simple: eggs prepared as described above, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, a little Worcester sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, crackers made of white bread and favorite herbs and spices are added to a bowl of lettuce. All ingredients are actively mixed, after - laid out on plates and served on the table. It is believed that this is how Caesar Cardini was the most popular dish in our time. Dressing is obtained by mixing all the components in a salad bowl. However, in most modern Caesar salad recipes, the sauce is prepared separately and only then they are watered with all other products.
Caesar Salad - preparation of products and utensils
The classic salad recipe does not imply the use of any other products except the Romaine lettuce, cheese, crackers and sauce. Nevertheless, you can find a lot of different ways to cook Caesar salad with the addition of chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, cabbage, salmon or salmon. However, the more different products are added, the further Caesar moves away from the classics.
In order to prepare Caesar salad, you will definitely need a frying pan (or a pan, depending on the recipe), a bowl or a wide dish on which all the ingredients will be laid out, a small bowl for making the sauce, a garlic press, a cheese grater, a knife and a cutting board. You will also need a baking sheet, on which crackers will be dried.
If chicken or shrimp is used in Caesar salad, they must first be boiled or fried. Lettuce leaves spread in a bowl with cold water and leave for 1 hour - so the leaves will retain freshness and become more crispy. An egg for the sauce can simply be immersed in boiling water (boil for about two minutes), or boil it in boiling water (without boiling, i.e. in a pan removed from the fire). In the latter case, the egg is kept for another 15 minutes without water. Rusks are usually cooked in a pan or in the oven.
Recipe 1: Caesar Salad
Even a novice cook will cope with this salad. The dish is very light and tasty. It goes well with the main meat dish.
Ingredients Required:
- Romen salad - half a head of cabbage;
- 2 tomatoes;
- Black pepper;
- White crackers - half a cup;
- Olive oil 20-30 ml;
- Hard cheese;
- Balsamic vinegar - 14 ml;
Cooking method:
Wash lettuce leaves, tear with your hands and put in a salad bowl. Wash the tomatoes, cut into small pieces, add to the salad. Grate cheese and pour into a salad bowl. Put crackers. Mix all ingredients, pepper and season with a mixture of oil and vinegar.
Recipe 2: Caesar Salad with Chicken
The main ingredients of Caesar salad with chicken are white chicken and light crackers. A specially cooked sauce gives special piquancy and richness. A lighter version of the dish involves the use of regular mayonnaise (preferably low-calorie).
Ingredients Required:
- A pound of chicken;
- Green salad - 1 bunch (small);
- Cherry Tomatoes - 12-13 pcs.;
- Mustard - 4-5 ml;
- Hard cheese (preferably Parmesan);
- Vegetable oil (for making crackers);
- Garlic cloves - 3 pcs.;
- 3 chicken eggs;
- 2 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- Salt;
- White bread;
- Olive oil - 100 ml;
- Black pepper.
Cooking method:
Cut small cubes from white bread. Put bread cubes on a baking sheet and put in the oven to dry. Bread should not be too hard or soft. Peel 1 clove of garlic, cut lengthwise into 3-4 parts. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and put the garlic. After the oil boils, remove the garlic. The result is a hot garlic oil, which you need to fry crackers. Pour in a small bowl or bowl of cold water and put the lettuce leaves there. Soak for about 1 hour - after this the leaves will stay fresh and crisp longer. Rinse chicken fillet under cool running water, cut into small cubes and fry until tender in vegetable oil. Salt meat is needed after it is cooked. Grate cheese on a fine or medium grater. Break dried lettuce leaves with your hands and put on a wide dish. Wash the cherry tomatoes, cut in half and put on a salad. Put chicken fillet on tomatoes. Hard-boiled eggs, pour water, then - peel, separate the yolks from the proteins. In a separate bowl, prepare the sauce: knead the yolks with a fork, add crushed garlic (2 cloves), lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly. Pour over the salad with the sauce, mix everything properly. Put croutons on top and sprinkle with grated cheese. Caesar salad with chicken can be served.
Recipe 3: Classic Caesar Salad
The classic Caesar salad recipe involves the use of ingredients such as crackers, lettuce, cheese and specially prepared sauce. All other ingredients (shrimp, chicken, olives or tomatoes) are additional ingredients with which the dish can no longer be classified as a classic. Caesar Salad is a very light snack that can be served as a side dish for fish or meat.
Ingredients Required:
- A large bunch of green salad;
- Cheese "Parmesan" - 100-120 g;
- White bread;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- 1 tsp mustard;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- Olive oil (Extra Virgin) - 100 ml;
- Black pepper;
- Salt.
Cooking method:
Cut the bread into small cubes, put on a baking sheet and place in the oven to dry. Dip the salad in cold water and leave to soak for 1 hour. The leaves after this will retain freshness longer and become more crispy. In hard-boiled eggs, separate the proteins and yolks. Prepare the sauce: knead the yolks with a fork, add mustard, lemon juice, oil and crushed garlic. Mix everything properly. Put lettuce leaves torn by hand on a wide dish. Top with breadcrumbs and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle the salad with grated cheese. Before serving, mix all the ingredients with the sauce.
Recipe 4: Caesar Salad Sauce
Currently, there are many options for making sauce for Caesar salad. However, the composition of the original remained unsolved. However, the chefs found a way to make the sauce closest to the present. The presented dressing recipe is just that.
Ingredients Required:
- 1 chicken egg;
- A quarter teaspoon of mustard;
- 1 tsp lemon juice;
- Olive oil (Extra Virgin) - 20 g;
- Vegetable oil (refined) - 40 ml;
- 4 salted anchovies;
- Worcestershire sauce - ¾ tsp;
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper - to taste.
Cooking method:
The egg should be at room temperature before dipping it in boiling water. Immerse the egg in boiling, slightly salted water and remove the pan from the heat. Soak the egg in boiling water for one minute. The consistency of the egg should look like a boiled soft-boiled egg. The degree of penetration depends on the size of the eggs. After 1 minute, remove the egg from boiling water and let it cool for 15 minutes at room temperature. Take a small bowl and break the egg there. Add lemon juice and mustard and beat everything in a blender. Gradually pour in olive and vegetable oil, without ceasing to whisk with a blender. The consistency of the sauce should look like mayonnaise. Wash, dry and chop the anchovies finely with a knife. Put the anchovies in the sauce and mix thoroughly. Beat the dressing again with a blender. Add Worcestershire sauce, a little salt pepper. If the fish is too salty, salt can be omitted. Caesar salad dressing ready!
Recipe 5: Caesar Salad with Shrimp
Very tasty and hearty salad, the peculiarity of which is a specially prepared sauce. Shrimps in combination with this dressing give the dish an extraordinary refined taste.
Ingredients Required:
- A bunch of green lettuce;
- 30 g of Parmesan cheese;
- Tiger (king) prawns - 10-12 pcs.;
- 1 tbsp. l liquid honey;
- 3 tsp lemon juice;
- Olive oil - 15 ml;
- Cooking oil for frying;
- Salt;
- A mixture of five peppers;
- Long loaf or white bread;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- A quarter teaspoon of provence herbs;
- 1 egg
- A quarter teaspoon of mustard;
- 4 anchovies (fillet);
- Worcestershire sauce (or balsamic vinegar) - half a teaspoon;
- Freshly ground black pepper.
Cooking method:
Wash thawed shrimp in cool water, clear of shell and remove head with intestines. Put shrimp on paper napkins. Put the seafood in a small bowl, add pepper, salt, honey, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir the shrimp thoroughly with the cooked mixture. Shrimp should marinate for about 30-40 minutes. Put shrimps in a frying pan with vegetable oil and fry for two minutes on each side. After the shrimp ceases to be transparent (which means they have cooked), remove them from the heat and put in a separate bowl.
Now you need to cook croutons. To do this, garlic needs to be peeled and finely chopped, put in a bowl with olive oil. A mixture of oil and garlic should be infused for 2 hours. Cut the bread into small cubes. Drain the oil from the garlic and pour into a preheated pan. Fry the bread cubes in garlic oil. Put croutons on a baking sheet, sprinkle with Provencal herbs and put in the oven to dry.
Prepare the sauce for Caesar salad: dip the egg at room temperature in boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. The consistency should be like soft-boiled eggs. After two minutes, remove the egg and immerse in cold water. Beat the egg in a bowl, add mustard and lemon juice, beat thoroughly. Without ceasing to whisk, gradually pour in olive oil. Grind the anchovy fillets and add to the sauce. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Beat the mixture with a blender until smooth.
Now you can cook the salad. Remove the pre-soaked lettuce leaves from the water, dry and tear by hand. Put the salad in a bowl, add the sauce and mix thoroughly. Serve the dish on flat plates. To do this, put lettuce leaves in sauce on each plate, add croutons and grated cheese on top, and spread shrimps. Pour a little sauce over the salad.
Recipe 6: Caesar Salad with Peking Cabbage
In this Caesar salad recipe, Chinese cabbage is used instead of the usual green salad. It is she who gives a special, delicate taste. An appetizer is very easy and quick to prepare, unlike traditional Caesar recipes.
Ingredients Required:
- Chicken fillet - a pound;
- Hard cheese - 300 g;
- Head of Beijing cabbage (medium size) - 1 pc.;
- 3-4 cloves of garlic (the more, the more piquant the dish will turn out);
- Low-fat mayonnaise - to taste;
- Salt to taste;
- Parsley and dill;
- Ready-made crackers made of white bread ("garlic").
Cooking method:
Boil chicken fillet in salted water, allow to cool and take apart into fibers (can be finely chopped). Rinse the cabbage and cut into thin ribbons. Grate cheese on a medium or fine grater. Peel and finely chop the garlic with a knife. Fold all the products in a bowl, salt and season with mayonnaise. To serve put the appetizer on plates, sprinkle portions with crackers and finely chopped herbs.
Caesar Salad - secrets and useful tips from the best culinary specialists
If dressing requires anchovies, they can be replaced with sprats of spicy salting. Instead of Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar can also be used. The sour taste of anchovies can be softened with honey, but if Worcestershire sauce is used, this is not necessary. The main secret of Caesar salad is a special method of cooking eggs (boiling without boiling), which is described above.
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