Lovely Caesar Salad
Caesar salad is a favorite in our household; I love the elegant look of it when it's all decked out with the non-traditional green onions and cheery cherry tomatoes. I love the medley of shapes and colors in small tomatoes that are so prevalent in summer. Fried capers make it look fancy and beautiful if you have a few extra minutes.
2 heads of artisan mini romaine (or 1 head of regular romaine)
2 green onions, chopped
½ cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup of parmesan, curls or shreds
⅓ cup of avocado oil
2 slices sourdough bread, cubed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. capers, optional
Drizzle of caesar dressing.
Wash the veggies and dry your lettuce. On a serving platter, separate the mini leaves decoratively (or chop lettuces if you prefer). Before chopping, l like to quarter the romaine lengthwise making the pieces more bite size when chopped. Drizzle lettuce with a bit of dressing and top or decorate with the green onions, tomatoes and parmesan curls. In a heavy pan, heat the oil on high heat. Prepare a bowl with a paper towel for the croutons. When the skillet is hot add the bread cubes and stir around for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown and getting crunchy. Remove the croutons with a slotted spoon/utensil to the bowl and season immediately, stir or shake the seasoning in. If using the capers, dry them on a paper towel well before sending them to the hot skillet to fry for just a couple of minutes (beware they do sputter some). When they begin to bloom like a flower, quickly return them to the paper towel and season. They look like beautiful caper blossoms to top off your highly decorated caesar. Lastly drizzle a bit more dressing over all the ingredients.
You can use any type of bread for croutons, maybe you have ⅓ of a baguette leftover from a cheese plate or even a giant bread pretzel. Get creative!
Do you have an air fryer? They're so popular lately. I tried a few croutons in my air fryer and they came out delicious and a bit more crunchy than the fried. I always line my tray with foil for easier clean up. Spray foil with spray oil and lay bread cubes on top. Spray the tops of the bread too and air fry at 410* 6-8 minutes. The croutons will be browned on top, not so much the bottoms but crunchy throughout. Pull out and season with salt and pepper.
Caesar Salad Dressing
This caesar is beautiful and delicious with the chopped capers and two types of acidity.
2 anchovy fillets
3 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 egg
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Lemon
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. capers
Add to a blender the anchovy, garlic, dijon, egg, red wine vinegar, juice of the lemon, salt and pepper. Blend on low, remove the center part of the blender top and very slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When it comes together and looks thickened; lower the speed and drop in the capers till they are roughly chopped. If you over blend you won’t be able to see them but it will still be delicious. Store in the fridge in a mason jar. Dressing may seem thin but will continue to thicken in the fridge. Conversely as my jar of dressing gets used and there is very little left, I sometimes add extra lemon juice to thin it.
