Caesar salad

SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS

No it's not named after Julius but after Caesar Cardini a restaurant and bar owner in Tijuana, Mexico- so it's not even American. It was invented in 1924 - the legend is that the kitchen supplies were depleted by a 4th of July rush and the dish was concocted from what was available and presented with a table side preparation to give it pizzaz. (More of that later.) Cardini was an Italian immigrant of course, and actually lived in San Diego but had a restaurant in Tijuana to avoid prohibition. He did not approve of anchovies in the salad - and all those other extra things you sometimes find. The original ingredients are cos lettuce, croutons and Parmesan with a dressing concocted from olive oil, garlic, eggs, lemon juice, Worcester sauce, and salt and pepper. So pretty basic stuff - and it should look something like this:

So why am I talking about Caesar salad? Well if you remember, my last lucky dip gave me a few things to talk about and I chose first of all to talk about delicious magazine. However, the page that I opened was a recipe for a radicchio caesar salad and this is my starting point today. (We are going out for a family dinner which could provide tomorrow's topic, so not much is happening on the food front today.) So I thought to return to my lucky dip. But sorry - I'm rambling.

Now Caesar Salad used to be a huge favourite of my two sons. I'm not sure whether it still is. For a while, every time we went out to dinner they would order Caesar salad - and you would be amazed at how varied the results were. I think this all began an opening up of their taste in food. And it occurred in Honolulu, of all places, where we had our last holiday together as a family. They were around 14-16 years old I think. One evening we went to an Italian restaurant (they would eat pasta), called Marios, in a dark and plush basement and which I think is still there, and for some reason that I have now forgotten we ordered the Caesar salad. Which they then proceeded to make at the table with a huge amount of flourish and theatre. It was made in a huge copper bowl with lots of fancy tossing and turning. They were very impressed. The photo below is not from Mario's but it could have been.

It was a very memorable dish and possibly set them on a trail of trying to repeat the experience. I don't think I have ever seen it made at table again, but Jane Grigson, in her Vegetable Book gives a rather funny description of how to do it. I liked it so much I shall reproduce it here:

"If you are given to baroque flourishes in the dining room and take chafing and flaming in your stride, this is your moment. If you find such performances nauseating rather than fun, just go at it quietly while everyone is talking and with luck they will not notice what you are up to. The salad will taste the same.

First scoop under the salad with the salad servers. Then pour four tablespoons of oil over it. Move the servers to the back of the bowl, opposite to you, then bring all the salad over and up in a wave. Be careful you do not misjudge the movement and end up with the wave in your lap. This is why you need a big bowl and why you may find it easier to stand rather than sit. Sprinkle on a quarter of a teaspoon of salt. Grind the pepper mill over it eight times, pour on two tablespoons of oil and turn the salad over again in the same way. Julia Child uses the word 'toss' - this puts me in mind of hay-making and cabers; I think it is more prudent to turn.

Pour on the lemon juice and six drops of Worcester sauce. Now break in the eggs, praying the thin shells do not crush to pieces in your hands or over the salad. Turn again twice, so that the lettuce is covered in the creamy egg and oil mixture. Sprinkle on the cheese. Turn again. Scatter the croutons over all and turn twice.

Do not sit down yet. You have not finished. You now have to arrange the salad 'rapidly but stylishly' leaf by leaf on the chilled plates (which now are unchilled, so there is little point in bothering in the first place unless you are a speedy operator). At the side of the leaves put a few croutons.

The approved manner of eating Caesar salad is to pick up the leaves with your fingers, asparagus style, then eat the croutons with a knife and fork. Cloth napkins and small bowls of water for the fingers are essential as the dressed stems of the lettuce are far more messy than asparagus. Serve it on its own as a first course."

By the way the quantities for the above recipe (apparently the original as given by Caesar's daughter Rosa), are 2 cos lettuces, 2 large cloves garlic, 3 slices white bread, 2 large fresh eggs, juice of a lemon and 30g of freshly grated Parmesan. She tells you the quantities of the other things.

But I'm willing to bet that you would rarely find it in this original state. The eggs, for a start are often added to the salad itself, and are not part of the dressing - they can be boiled, coddled, poached. I guess raw eggs are a potential problem. Anchovies are common - apparently this comes from the slightly anchovy taste of the Worcester sauce. Then there is often some kind of meaty addition - most often crisp bacon, but I have seen chicken as well. And of course you can vary the basic lettuce. The recipe that started all of this article, for example, was for a radicchio Caesar salad.

It's actually otherwise reasonably authentic - well if you forget the prosciutto and the anchovies. Then there's another delicious (well Jamie Oliver) version which is a 'deconstruction' of the original dish plus some additions. Tomatoes?

In this instance you sort of make it yourself.

I'm sure if I searched I could find plenty of other variations. It just goes to show does it not that every 'classic' dish is constantly being remade according to the food fashion of the time?

I am grateful to Caesar Salad though for opening my sons' eyes to a world of different food. And in Honolulu too!