CAESAR THE GREAT

Caesar salad has got to the one of the world's best salad inventions.  Seeing as for some strange reason they come in two sizes (small and comatose) in a lot of restaurants and cafes, I simply cannot go past ordering the humongous sized portion and always somewhat regret nibbling on the grissini whilst waiting for them to cart it out on its own trolley because, once it arrives, I am half full from all the bread.  

But - my justification is that it's a salad, right?  Therefore you can never really eat too much of it - it's a salad!  Even if it's slathered in a rich, creamy dressing and mountainous lashings of parmesan cheese.  It's not the healthiest of all but I am willing to justify this fact to myself over and over again.  Because it's worth it.

I can take less guilt knowing that I can make this dish at home, by hand, and have control over how much cream, bacon and cheese goes into it.  This in no way means I make a healthy version with 'lite' cream and 'low fat' cheese, because let's be honest here - using the real deal is exactly why it's so damn delicious.

So if you dare, try this recipe out.  I bet you won't regret it. But your calorie-counting friends might.

caesar salad

  1 baby cos, washed and shredded

  1 cup shredded chicken or 3 rashers bacon, crisp fried and sliced

  6-8 anchovies, diced

  1 cup stale crusty bread, cut into 1cm cubes

  2 free range eggs

  70ml cream

  juice of 1 lemon

  1 clove garlic, crushed

  salt and pepper, to taste

  40g parmesan cheese, shaved, plus extra for dressing

  30ml olive oil, plus extra for croutons

make croutons

Place the bread on a large baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.  Grill on high heat, tossing occasionally, until browned and crispy.  Set aside.

make salad

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil.  Gently place the eggs in the saucepan and hard boil for approximately 7 minutes (depending on how you like the yolk).  Remove and let cool before shelling - a trick I use is to turn the cold tap on very slightly and remove the shell underneath the stream of water (especially handy when you're in a rush and can't wait for the egg to cool down).  Slice into quarters and set aside.

make dressing

Place the olive oil, cream, lemon juice, anchovies and garlic in a glass jug.  Whisk vigorously with a fork until well combined and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Adjust to taste by adding more cream/oil/lemon juice. Add 2tbsp of grated parmesan cheese and set aside.

make pretty

Place the cos on a large platter and top with chicken or bacon.  Scatter croutons, egg and parmesan over the top and dollop the lot with generous, non-dieting serves of creamy dressing. D-lish.