Add variety to your Caesar salad by grilling it.
Grilling adds a tasty twist to the traditional Caesar salad by giving a crisp, meaty taste to the romaine lettuce. It also makes it easier to eat Caesar salad with your hands, rather than with a fork.
History
Caesar salads originated in Mexico, thanks to a restaurateur named Caesar Cardini. FineCooking.com claims that Cardini created the Caesar salad when unexpected guests arrived at his Tijuana restaurant in the 1920s. Unwilling to turn the guests away, Cardini used the few ingredients he had in stock to make a new salad.
Ingredients
The traditional ingredients for Caesar salad include romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, garlic, egg yolks, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil and croutons. For variety, you can add chicken, tomatoes or even shrimp. Many Caesar salads also include anchovies. In an interview with NPR, Ruth Reichl, the editor of "Gourmet" magazine, explains that anchovies were not part of the original Caesar salad recipe. They were added at a later date to intensify the anchovy flavoring in the Worcestershire sauce.
Preparation
"Good Housekeeping" suggests cutting the romaine lettuce hearts in half, lengthwise, and grilling them until lightly browned on an outdoor grill set at medium. If you do not have access to an outdoor grill, use your stove's broiler instead by placing a wire rack in the bottom of the broiler pan. Let the lettuce broil on the rack until browned. You may need to turn them over after a few minutes to brown both sides. You can use a blender, food processor, mortar and pestle or knife to create the dressing. The garlic is minced before being whisked into the rest of the sauce ingredients. To serve grilled Caesar salad, drizzle the sauce over the lettuce and mix in some croutons.
Tags: Caesar salad, romaine lettuce, Caesar salads, outdoor grill, Worcestershire sauce
