Caesar salad - monarch of the salad empire
All more or less outstanding discoveries and achievements of mankind have a history. The history of the salad with the majestic name "Caesar" deserves, perhaps, a separate novel, in which truth and myths have merged so much that it is already impossible to separate one from the other ...
Back in 1896, not far from the town of Lago Maggiori, in Italy, a boy was born, who was named Caesar. Not Guy Julius, of course, but simply Caesar, with a simple Italian surname Cardini. After the First World War, he and his brother Alex emigrated to the United States, where he opened a small establishment that combines a hotel and a restaurant, called "Caesar's Place", which can be translated as "Caesar's." More precisely, Cardini opened this institution not in the States themselves, but in Mexico, in the town of Tijuana, 20 miles from the city of San Diego, where he lived. This geographic state of affairs made it possible to have a profitable business bypassing the Prohibition Law, which was then "raging" in the United States.
On one of the Independence Days, namely July 4, 1924, Cardini's establishment was occupied by Hollywood stars, who crossed the border with the sole purpose of having a good drink. Actually, there were no problems with drinking "Caesar", but with snacks things were problematic: all decent stocks ran out, and the nearest stores were completely closed. All that remained with Caesar was eggs, olive oil, lettuce, bread, Worcestershire sauce, Parmesan cheese, garlic. To somehow correct his hindsight, Cardini mixed what was, and offered IT to the guests. So the world saw the first salad, which was later named after the inventor, and was completely delighted.
This is the canonical version of the Caesar salad being born, first told by Cardini's daughter, Rosa. Later this story appeared in such respected sources as the Chicago Tribune (July 23, 1987), The Santa Fe New Mexican (May 28, 1997), Tulsa World (July 9, 1997) and many others, having by that time been overgrown with rumors and speculation.
It was said, for example, that Clark Gable and Jean Harlow were among the first lucky people to taste the great restaurateur's work. Although in fact this was not, because it could not be: in 1924, Gable was still young and unknown to anyone, and Jean Harlow was 13 years old. The only person who claims to have been with Caesar on that historic day and tasted the new dish was Julia Child, who was brought with them by her parents. Julia Childe later became a renowned cookbook author.
So what exactly did Caesar feed the heated crowd of filmmakers? After going through several options in his mind, Cardini chose, as it is now clear, the only correct one. He rubbed a plate with garlic, put lettuce leaves on it, poured it with oil, broke eggs prepared in a special way (namely, the eggs were dipped in boiling water for exactly 60 seconds, while the water itself did not boil, as a result, the egg consistency turned out like a good dressing ), added grated cheese, lemon juice, condiments and croutons made with olive oil and garlic. All! There were no anchovies, no other ingredients in the classic salad.
As for the anchovies, then Caesar's brother Alex Cardini, who, leaving the service of a military pilot, joined his brother's restaurant business in 1926-27, did his best. He added anchovies to the salad when he treated them to American pilots from San Diego, and called this variation "Aviator's Salad."Caesar himself perceived the anchovy innovation very negatively, he said that Worcestershire sauce is enough for the salad to have a piquant taste. Caesar also argued that a real salad should be prepared only with Italian olive oil and Italian parmesan.
There is a version that Alex Cardini, shortly before his death in 1975, met with Diana Kennedy in Mexico City, to whom he told about "his" salad. Diana became interested in the culinary details of this dish, and thanks to her, the misconception spread that the classic Caesar salad should include anchovies.
One of the "scandalous" versions of the birth of the famous salad was told by journalist Neil Mathews from the pages of his newspaper "San Diego Union-Tribune" (March 2, 1995). He spoke of a certain Livio Santini, an old-timer of Tijuana, who claims that it was he, Livio, who created this salad according to his mother's recipe when he worked in the kitchen of Caesar's restaurant at the age of 18. And already allegedly directly from him Cardini took over the recipe and "appropriated" the invention to himself. There is as much reason to believe this story as there is not to believe it, especially given the popularity of the salad by 1995.
The author of another highly controversial version is George Leonard Herter, who wrote in his book Bull Cook and Authenti Historical Recipes and Practices that Caesar salad was first prepared in ... 1903 by Giacomo Giunia, an Italian chef in Chicago. “Giacomo was the chef of a small restaurant called The New York Cafe, and he tried to please American tastes, since the spaghetti and pizza popular in Italy were practically not in demand, except among the Italians themselves ... It was then that the salad was invented, which Giacomo called "Caesar", in honor of the greatest Italian Caesar - Gaius Julius ... The salad itself consisted of romaine lettuce leaves ... Junia had no idea that his salad would become extremely popular. Many traveling chefs were interested in his recipe, and soon Caesar spread not only throughout North America, but even in Europe. "
However, whatever may be said about the real roots of the Caesar salad, it was Caesar's Cardini salad that received the greatest fame. His salad became a specialty for which people came to Tijuana. The European debut of "Caesar" took place thanks to the wife of Prince Edward VIII of Wales. The princess traveled extensively, including to San Diego and Tijuana in the 1920s, and was an avid fan of Cardini salad. They say it was in this area that she met her future husband. There is another legend (or maybe not a legend) associated with the princess and the salad. Initially, Cardini served lettuce leaves whole, it was taken from the plate directly with the fingers, while the princess was the first to ask to tear lettuce leaves into pieces so that it could be eaten with a knife and fork. This is covered in Terry D. Greenfield's book Finding 'Caesar'.
After the repeal of Prohibition in 1934 and a new law banning casinos in Mexico (1935), Cardini sold his establishment in Tijuana and moved to Los Angeles. By the way, the restaurant in Tijuana still exists.
There is such a funny fact in the history of the salad: when, in 1948, Caesar and Rosa Cardini decided to start selling their branded dressing widely, it turned out that Cardini could not register the very name "Caesar salad" - by that time it had already become public domain and he had to confine himself brands "Original Caesar" and "Cardini".
In 1953, 3 years before the death of Caesar Cardini, the salad was recognized by the Epicurean Society in Paris as "the best recipe to appear in America in the last 50 years." Cardini died in 1956, leaving to his descendants one of the best recipes that are rich in the golden fund of world culinary.
Today, the name Caesar Salad is not necessarily the same Caesar that was created in Tijuana in 1924.There are as many variations of its preparation as there are chefs, and they all have the right to be called this proud name. Although ... Classics will always remain classics. Unrivaled ...
Culinary Eden,
Caesar salad with chicken and mushroomsIngredients:
2/3 cup low-calorie mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
6 cups romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped into strips
2 cups boiled mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste (if desired). Combine lettuce, chicken, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes in a deep 3-liter container. Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over the salad, close the lid tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours. Stir the salad lightly when serving and place on a flat salad dish.
Caesar salad with mayonnaise
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash (0.5 ml) hot pepper sauce
1 dash (0.5 ml) Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons of water
8 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves
1.5 cups toasted croutons
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Mix together mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisking, gradually add olive oil and water to the mixture until the mixture is smooth.
Arrange torn lettuce leaves, croutons, and cheese in a large, flat salad bowl. Drizzle over cooked dressing and stir gently.
Potato Caesar Salad
Whisk with a mixer a mixture of 0.5 cup olive oil for salad, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon dried garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 egg, and 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
Place about 2 kg of romaine lettuce leaves on a plate, washed, dried and torn into large pieces. Top with 2 cups garlic croutons, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup crumbled Roquefort cheese. On top of the prepared salad, place the boiled potatoes, cooled and diced, after mixing them with the salad dressing. Amount of diced potatoes is about 4 cups.
Caesar Salad LightIngredients:
2 slices of sweet bread, diced
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
salt, black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 garlic clove, cut into thin strips
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Sprinkle a small amount of olive oil on a small baking sheet. Combine bread cubes with garlic, salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and shake vigorously several times to distribute the garlic, salt and pepper evenly over the bread. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 12 minutes, turning the cubes occasionally until they are baked on all sides until golden brown. Remove the croutons and leave to cool. During this time, wash and dry the romaine lettuce, tear it into pieces, and set it in a paper towel in the refrigerator until use. Now in a wooden bowl, grind the anchovy paste and garlic, add salt, pepper, beat the mixture well with a fork. While whisking, add olive oil, lemon juice and mustard.When all ingredients are mixed into a homogeneous mass, add fresh salad, parmesan and croutons to it. Stir gently and garnish with a few croutons. Serve immediately.
Caesar salad - classic salad recipe
First, let's prepare the croutons (croutons). Cut off the crust from the loaf, cut the middle into small cubes - I personally like smaller ones, about 1 cm. Sprinkle with olive oil, spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until golden brown.
While the croutons are baking, prepare the sauce for the Caesar salad. Immerse a raw egg in boiling water for one minute, cool, peel and grind with a blender. Add the juice of one lemon, salt on the tip of a knife, mustard, garlic to taste. Then slowly pour in the olive oil - the sauce should not be very thick but not very liquid either.
Next, you need to wash the leaves of green lettuce, dry and cut into small pieces. Professional chefs say that the salad must be torn into pieces with your hands, that this is how the maximum amount of nutrients is preserved in it - you can follow their advice. I don't see anything wrong with cutting a salad with a steel knife.
Spicy hard cheese (ideally Parmesan) grate on a coarse grater. Now it remains to mix the components together. Take a large salad bowl, rub it with garlic and add chopped lettuce, croutons, grated cheese and sauce. Mix everything thoroughly, and then sprinkle with the remaining croutons and cheese on top. It will look very impressive if you decorate the salad with lemon slices, olives or something else. It is advisable to use Caesar salad for the intended purpose faster, otherwise the crackers will absorb moisture and soften, which will deprive your dish of spice.
Chicken Caesar Salad RecipePrepare the sauce, croutons, cheese and lettuce in the same way as in the previous recipe. Cut chicken breasts (2-3 pcs.) Into cubes slightly larger than croutons and fry in boiling olive oil until light golden brown. In addition, you need to boil 3-4 hard-boiled eggs, cool, peel and chop with a knife.
In this recipe, the salad is laid out in layers. Put the chopped lettuce leaves in a deep bowl, pour over the sauce, put the chicken fillet pieces on top, cover with a second layer of green salad, pour over the sauce again and add the eggs. Next, lay out the third layer of green salad, on it - crackers, pour them with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese on top. It remains only to decorate the salad - delicious and low-calorie!
Shrimp Caesar Salad RecipeFor this version of Caesar salad, we need about 200 g of boiled shrimp, avocado - 1 pc., 100 g of grated parmesan, 4 boiled quail eggs, as well as lettuce, croutons, salt and pepper. Well, juice from half a lemon, as well
The method of preparing a salad recipe is as follows:
First, lettuce leaves are stacked, then eggs are cut in half, then shrimps, and avocado and cheese are rubbed on top on a coarse grater. Sprinkle everything with lemon juice and add a little mayonnaise, the layers are repeated 2-3 times, croutons are poured on the top layer in a slide. Salt the salad to taste, you can also pepper it.
Bon appetit, everyone, cook and eat to your health
