Caesar Salad with BBQ Chicken

Caesar Salad with Crispy BBQ Maple Bacon

Traditionally, a Caesar salad was a very simple affair.

An Italian chef in Caesars Hotel in Tijuana often made it for his dinner late at night after the customers left.

He came from a poor family, and his mother created the recipe because usually all they had on hand was stale bread, lettuce, a little bit of cheese and some eggs.

In the time of prohibition, the rich and famous would flee across the border to drink and socialise. Socialite and wife of the then Duke of Windsor saw him making his salad one night, taking it back to England.

She made it famous by cooking it for her family and friends. Caesar, of course, claimed the name.

It was made with young Romaine lettuce in the beginin, or Coz, as we know it, the dressing and a final scattering of grated Parmesan cheese, finished with a large crouton.

When famous restaurateur Javier Plascencia took over the hotel many years later, he would make the dressing at the table, fold the lettuce leaves through the dressing, and top it with one large crouton. The customer would then eat the leaves with their hands.

Now we know a classic Caesar to have bacon and boiled eggs.

You can make your own Caesar salad dressing with the recipe below or if you are short on thime there are many fantastic dressing on the market.

For The Caesar Dressing

1 Anchovy

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, crushed

Black pepper

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Juice ½ lime

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the Salad

2 Coz lettuces, leaves removed, washed and dried

6 rashes bacon

2 tbsp maple syrup

6 eggs, boiled and quartered

50g Parmesan cheese, shaved

1 cup croutons

Method:

Brush the bacon with maple syrup and grill over medium flame until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel.

Combine 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp rapeseed oil and set aside.

Pound the anchovies with olive oil in a mortar and pestle to create a paste.

Add Dijon, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, lime juice and egg yolk, Parmesan and whisk, slowly drizzling in a mix of olive oil and rapeseed oil.

Arrange Coz leaves, eggs, bacon, shaved Parmesan and croutons on a platter and drizzle over the dressing.

NOTE: You can substitute avocado oil or grapeseed oil for the olive oil at the end but don't use all olive oil because it will be too strong.