Today in El Nacional's gastronomy section, our chef, Oscar Manresa from Barcelona's Casa Leopoldo will show us the recipe for a great, light take on a Chicken Caesar salad.
The salad, perhaps disappointingly, isn't believed to be named for the Roman emperor. Instead, it comes from the person credited with its invention, Caesar Cardini, a chef and restaurant owner in San Diego and Tijuana, the latter chosen to attract US clients during Prohibition. According to Rosa, his daughter, Cardini was cooking in his restaurant in Tijuana on US Independence Day 1924 when, having more customers than expected, the kitchen was close to running out of ingredients. The chef improvised a salad with what he had left, compensating with the added dramatic effect of preparing it tableside.
In our version, we're going to use romaine lettuce, fried chicken breast and parmesan cheese. For the dressing, the key to a Caesar salad, we'll use a special mayonnaise with garlic and onion left to sit in oil for 24 hours, an egg and anchovies for that umami hit. We'll be giving ours a special twist by using a slightly spicy oil. All of this plated up together for a Caesar salad perfect for losing that Christmas weight.
Ingredients for 2:
- 2 romaine lettuce (or similar)
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 cup/250ml olive oil
- 1 egg
- 2 anchovies, very finely chopped
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- Shaved parmesan
- Salt and pepper
Recipe:
- The day before, leave the garlic and onion in the oil
- Wash and quarter the lettuce and set aside
- Slice the chicken into thin strips
- Season the chicken and fry in a pan with a drop of olive oil
- Place the egg in a bowl and very slowly add the oil, whisking vigorously (you might not need all the oil)
- Stir through the anchovies, onion and garlic
- Plate up the lettuce and chicken and drizzle over the dressing
- Finish with shaved parmesan