La Caesar salad is a salad that is appreciated all over the world, a tasty and nutritious dish. Composed of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, fried croutons, topped with a sauce made of lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, garlic and Worcestershire, you can taste it everywhere, in fine restaurants and fast food restaurants.
The origins of Caesar salad
Its origins are still debated. In fact, it is traditionally associated with American or Mexican cuisine, because it was first made in Tijuana, Mexico. One thing, however, is certain: the Italian chef Cesare Cardini invented it in 1924, from which it takes the name "Caesar". He, born in 1896 in Bavegno, on Lake Maggiore, in the postwar period he moved to Mexico with his brothers, in search of fortune. Here he worked mainly in the city of Tijuana, then went to Los Angeles, where he became famous among Hollywood stars. The recipe for Caesar salad originated by chance, during the feast of July 4th.
On that occasion, due to the large influx of customers who came to his restaurant to celebrate American independence, the Italian chef was left with few ingredients. So, to please everyone, and without panic, but above all by playing a lot with the imagination, Cesare invented the recipe for this rich salad, using what he had available at that time. Putting together romaine lettuce, fried croutons, Parmesan cheese, all seasoned with a mixture obtained by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, egg yolk, garlic, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, he created a dish that was immediately a great success. Today, Caesar salad is famous all over the world.
The ingredients of the traditional recipe and the reinterpretations
The ingredients of the Caesar salad are a fusion of different smells, tastes and cultures. In realizing it, Cesare Cardini united Italian ingredients like romaine lettuce, Parmigiano Reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, To Worcestershire sauce (which is an English sauce, sweet and sour and slightly spicy). Over the years, the original recipe has undergone some reinterpretations.
The most famous is undoubtedly the one that involves adding chicken breast grilled and diced, or breaded and cut into strips, or steamed and delicately frayed. As an alternative to chicken, you can use turkey meat or smoked bacon, or steamed shrimp. Lettuce can also be replaced with curly endive. In other cases, toasted almonds are used in addition to bread, to make the dish more crunchy. However, it is essential that there is no lack of Worcestershire sauce, which has always been very popular in the United States.
How to prepare the Caesar salad
Making the Caesar salad is simple. The ingredients needed for 3-4 servings are as follows: 2 heads of romaine lettuce, 2 slices of white bread, 1 egg, 1 clove of garlic, 1 lemon. For the Worcestershire sauce, you need instead: 2 tablespoons of diced or flaked parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper.
This is the procedure: wash and peel the lettuce, choosing the most tender leaves. Crush the garlic clove, add a pinch of salt and chop it. Add a tablespoon of oil and mix until smooth. Pour the oil and garlic into a non-stick pan, adding another tablespoon of oil and heat to medium-low temperature.
Add the diced bread and stir for a couple of minutes until it is flavored and golden. Simmer the egg in a saucepan. Arrange the salad in a salad bowl, pour 2 tablespoons of oil and mix. Add the salt, ground pepper, lemon juice, Worchestershire sauce and mix again. Shell the egg on the salad and mix well to season the leaves evenly. Add the pieces of cheese and croutons and mix one last time. Serve the Caesar salad immediately with an additional grind of pepper, if desired. Et voila, the dish is ready. Enjoy your meal!
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