Classic Caesar salad
A salad recipe? In the FatSteak Club? Yes, yes, my idea of salad in the past might well have been a sprig of parsley on my steak but the Caesar salad really is a treat. Nothing to do with the Roman dictator, it was invented by a chef called Caesar as something for drinkers to enjoy and soak up the beer.
Besides, something involving eggs, garlic and bread can hardly be anything other than delicious! So forget the travesties sold by supermarkets, here I explain how to whip up the perfect classic dressing.
As ever when discovering a classic, I turn to Felicity Cloake who works through every version of classic recipes to derive the perfect version for you to use. I followed hers fairly religiously, check it out here.
Step 1 - Garlic. Bread?
Crush up the garlic and leave in the oil for at least an hour
Top Tip: you should have some garlic oil in your kitchen anyway!Pop the oven on to 200 C
Cut the bread up into cubes (roughly 1 cm, or the crouton size you prefer). Leaving the crust on works fine
Toss the cubes in a little of the garlic oil (quarter to a third) and bake on a tray for around 15 minutes until they are golden
Step 2 - Dressing
Mash the anchovies in a bowl with a fork so they start to become a paste
Beat in the egg yolk
Gradually add the rest of the garlic oil while beating
Stir in the lemon juice
You now have the perfect dressing
Step 3 - Assemble the dish
Tear up the lettuce leaves and toss them in the dressing
Top Tip: get your hands in there!Place in serving bowls
Add the cheese and toss some more to coat
Finally, top with the croutons and serve immediately
Serving recommendation: for added FatSteak Club-ness chuck on some roast chicken and soft boiled eggs!
Classic Caesar salad
2 cloves garlic
150ml olive oil (make it the good stuff)
4 x 1 cm slices of sourdough bread (white or ciabatta also work well)
Top Tip: This is a great way to use old bread2 cos lettuce
2 anchovy fillets
Top Tip: anchovy oil is great in other recipes, try frying broccoli in it1 egg yolk
Juice of ½ lemon
Handful of finely grated parmesan
I trained as a chemist, and now I don't work in a laboratory anymore, I apply that knowledge to my cooking. I do love my gadgets, experimenting and using an understanding of the principles of chemistry to make the very best food. I seem to cook more and more as a hobby now I don't wear a lab coat, and still dream of retiring to run a small restaurant somewhere quiet.
My confidence really came when I taught myself to cook Italian and found I was pretty good at making pasta. I was married to a vegetarian then and it was the one cuisine where I didn't miss meat. I'm big on meat usually and passionate about great ingredients and doing things from scratch yourself. I did a butchery course last year and intend to learn all the skills needed to butcher and make use of a whole pig nose to tail.
Eating out is also a passion, and I particularly like to go for things I don't think I could do at home easily or better! Mind you, I do love a pie.
