Health Benefits

Benefits of Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is a green salad made of Romaine lettuce and Croutons which is dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, egg, garlic, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce. The recipe comprises of romaine lettuce leaves, shavings of parmesan cheese, garlic croutons tossed in a creamy dressing that is made of olive oil, egg, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.  To the belief, original recipe of Caesar salad did not contain pieces of anchovy. As it may be, modern versions included them because original did have slight flavor of anchovy which came from Worcestershire sauce. It is believed that inventor opposed to use anchovies in the salad. Originally, it is believed that leaves of lettuce are served whole as it means to be lifted by stem and consumed with the fingers. The amounts of ingredient vary from chef to chef. Usually, Caesar salad contains romaine lettuce with vinaigrette dressing topped with toasted croutons. There are various salad variations that include addition of meat, garlic, vegetables and other condiments. Vegetables, additions and dressings vary such as fish or chicken.

History

Generally, this salad is created by a restaurateur Caesar Cardini who is an Italian immigrant operated restaurants in United States and Mexico. He was living in San Diego but was also working in Tijuana where he avoided restrictions of prohibition. His daughter Rosa recited that her father invented salad when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted the supplies of Kitchen. Cardini made with what he had by adding dramatic flair of table side tossing “by the chef”. The number of Cardini’s staff said that they created the dish.

Julia Child mentioned that she consumed Caesar salad at Cardini’s restaurant when she was a child in 1920s. Dorothy Kilgallen, a newspaper columnist, in 1946 wrote a Caesar containing anchovies which differs from version of Cardini.

Caesar salad introduced to New Yorkers by Gilmore’s Steak House. It is an elaborated creation that took ages to prepare and contains raw coddled eggs, lots of garlic, romaine, croutons, olive oil, parmesan cheese, black pepper and vinegar.

Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head romaine lettuce
  • 3 cups French bread
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 8 anchovy filets
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 egg yolks for large eggs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded or shaved)

Directions:

  1. Trim bruised or browned leaves of Romaine lettuce and then cut it into 1 ½ inch pieces. Wash, drain, pat it dry. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes to crisp the leaves.
  2. For croutons, cut bread into cubes. In a sauté pan, heat ½ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry bread cubes in the oil and toss it frequently till they’re crisp and golden. Drain croutons on a paper towel till ready to use.
  3. Peel the cloves of garlic then put it in a large wooden salad bowl. Mash cloves with the back of a wooden spoon against the sides of the bowl. Rub pieces against the bowl till they begin to disintegrate. Remove most of the mashed garlic from the bowl and discard. Add anchovies and repeat the procedure leaving the pieces of anchovy in the bowl. Then by adding the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, lemon juice and egg yolks, blend well. Drizzle slowly in the remaining olive oil mixing with a wire whisk till a creamy mayonnaise type dressing forms. Add lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons and salt. Toss all together and serve it directly from the salad bowl.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_salad

http://www.culinaryarts.com/Recipes/recipefiles/Caesar.htm

https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/184845/facts-about-caesar-salad/

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/478562/Top-10-facts-about-salad

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Caesar Salad Quick Facts
Name: Caesar Salad
Major nutrients Total Fat (388.43%)
Vitamin K (205.25%)
Sodium (189.40%)
Vitamin D (80.00%)
Vitamin E (74.27%)