Perhaps Julius Caesar is one of the most famous historical figures. The talents of the Roman commander are legendary, and his phrase “Veni, vidi, vici” flew around the world. By the way, the Russian title “king” is a truncation from “Caesar”. But what does Caesar have to do with the salad of the same name?
History in detail
As it often happens, there are several versions of this dish. According to one of them, salad was invented in 1903 by Mr. Giacomo Junia, an Italian chef living in Chicago.
Apparently, longing for his historic homeland, Giacomo fed Americans spaghetti and pizza and in his spare time worked on culinary creativity. We can assume that, in a state of nostalgia, he named his invention in honor of the great Caesar.
According to another version, which is considered more believable, a salad in 1924 was invented by Mr. Caesar Cardini. Having emigrated from Italy to America, he decided to open a hotel with a restaurant, but faced a “dry law”. To get around it, enterprising Caesar organized a business in Mexico. Due to the abundance of alcohol, the restaurant enjoyed great popularity among Americans. Once, on July 4, America’s Independence Day, Caesar was especially crowded. Supplies of food were sorely lacking, and I had to compose a salad on the go.
He spread out lettuce leaves on a flat plate, sprinkled with garlic, added croutons, parmesan cheese, eggs cooked in a special way, olive oil and a drop of Worcester sauce.
Probably, Caesar Cardini had a tension and with the instruments, since the salad was supposed to be eaten by hands.
Soon, his brother Alex Cardini joined the business of Caesar, who later added anchovies to the recipe and, as a first-class pilot, called him “Aviator”. Caesar did not want to agree with the presence of anchovies in his salad, but found peace when he called the popular dish in his honor.
The affairs of Cardini went up the hill. Among other admirers of “Caesar” was the wife of Prince Edward VIII of Wales. She, first, came up with a cut salad, so that the dish could be eaten with a fork, and secondly, during numerous trips, she introduced the Europeans to a strange salad. He liked them so much that when in 1948 Caesar Cardini decided to organize the sale of his branded refueling, he could not prove that the Caesar salad was his brainchild – by that time he had been preparing everything, experimenting and adding new ingredients. In 1953, the Epicurean society in Paris called the Caesar salad the best recipe from America in the last 50 years.
It’s all about the eggs.
It’s believed that the most important secret of the Caesar salad is in its dressing. Cardini’s mother used eggs for refueling, which she kept in boiling water for exactly one minute.
After that, the eggs were placed in cold water and cooled. It is these eggs (and not mayonnaise) that give the dressing cream structure and special softness.
The second secret of “Caesar” is banal and universal – fresh products. This applies not only to cheese and eggs, but also croutons, which must be prepared immediately before consumption.
And the last moment is a salad. If you do not cut it with a knife, and tear your hands at large pieces, it will not only preserve the freshness and vitamins, but also will not give juice.
Modern “Caesar”, in contrast to the original recipe, more satisfying due to chicken, tuna and shrimp. Culinary experts continue to experiment, adding a wide variety of ingredients to the salad – from cherry tomatoes to walnuts.
For Caesar salad you will need:
- 1 / 2-1 / 3 cups of croutons;
- 1 egg;
- 1-2 tsp. finely chopped garlic;
- 1 crushed anchovy fillet;
- a pinch of coarse salt;
- 2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice;
- 3 drops of Worcester sauce;
- 6 tbsp. l. olive oil;
- 4 tbsp. l. grated parmesan cheese;
- 1 bunch of salad;
- black pepper ground.
First we’ll make thecroutons. Heat the oven to 200 degrees, cut the French loaf into cubes with a side of 1 cm, sprinkle with olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes until golden. After 4 minutes after baking, stir the croutons so that they are evenly dried.
Now let’s take care of the eggs. To the egg does not burst when pouring with boiling water, leave it to warm up at room temperature. Then pour boiling water and leave for 1 minute, then place in cold water.
Forrefuelingmash the anchovies, garlic, salt, add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. In the resulting mass, stir the prepared egg, continue to beat until the mass thickens, gradually pouring in olive oil. When the dressing is completely ready, add 2 tsp. grated Parmesan.
Rinse the lettuce leaves into pieces. In a large bowl, put 1/3 of the filling and mix with the croutons. Add the salad pieces and the remaining dressing. If desired, you can add chicken fillet or shrimp, which should be roasted separately on the grill, or crushed fillet of canned tuna. Spread the salad on a serving plate, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and black pepper. Start eating immediately.
If you are ready to proceed, but still have a whole working day ahead, you can apply to one of the institutions of the city. Fortunately, Caesar salad is often found.
So, in the restaurant “Shamrock” “Caesar” with chicken (120 g) will cost 269 rubles, and with shrimp – at 349. You can go to the cafe “Perchini”, there you will find a 370-gram portion of “Caesar” with chicken fillet for 241 rubles. In the coffee shop “Travelers Coffee” 150 grams of “Roman” salad will cost cheaper – at 109 rubles, will give you his choice – with roasted chicken fillet, smoked salmon or bacon.
