Classic Caesar salad

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       Last winter, I took the most amazing cooking class at Chef's Gallery in Stillwater, Mn.  It was a 5 day intensive, hands on class.  Everyday we started at 9am and chef Marge would demonstrate skills that we needed for that day and then would walk us through the meal that we were going to prepare.  Then we would get to work and prepare a four-course meal for lunch.  It was a serious cook's dream come true!

     The food we made was absolutely amazing.  We learned a lot of classic cooking techniques and made several different soups, including French onion.  We made several classic sauces including buerre blanc (which is to die for!) and aioli.  We learned how to make fresh pasta, coq au vin, chocolate mousse, lemon curd and the list could go on!

     The recipe I want to share with you today from my class is for Classic Caesar Salad.  As far as the history of Caesar Salad, the story goes that it was created at a restaurant in Tijuana by an Italian named Caesar Cardini in 1924.  It is said that he was running out of food and came up with this recipe with things he had on hand and prepared it tableside.  Whether the story is completely true or not, Caesar salad is still delicious!

     The classic preparation of Caesar salad includes raw egg yolks and anchovies.  Do not fear either one of these.  If you're nervous about raw eggs you can always use pasturized eggs.  If anchovies are a little scary for you, don't fear them.  They really add a nice flavor in the background, not at all fishy.  I use anchovy paste and I don't use very much, just enough to get that extra little somethin' somethin' in the background.

Classic Caesar Salad



• 1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces or 2 bags of pre-cut romaine lettuce
• 1 cup olive oil, divided
• 1/2 of a French baguette
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• 1 tsp anchovy paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks from large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Start out by making the croutons.  Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes.  Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add bread cubes to the pan and toss to coat with the oil.  Continue cooking until crispy and brown, tossing frequently.

Once bread is crispy, drain on paper towels until ready to use.  One tip, if you make these in advance and store them in a plastic bag, they may lose their crispiness.  If that happens put them on a cookie sheet and re-crisp them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.

Put the garlic cloves in a small bowl (not metal) and mash the cloves against the side of the bowl with a wooden spoon until they are broken up. 

Remove galic from the bowl and discard.  Add anchovy paste and stir with wooden spoon.

Add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, pepper and egg yolks.  Combine well.

Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil until mixture is emulsified.

Place lettuce in a salad bowl, pour dressing over the top, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and the salt and toss well.  Top with croutons.

ENJOY!

Shared at Mandy's Recipe Box on 11/15/11

Pasta Salad: A Great Way to Use Up Leftover Grilled Vegetables

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      So, as you may know, I had a bunch of leftover grilled vegetables in my refridgerator.  I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with them, but I was confident I could come up with something.  As I was trying to come up with a menu for Friday night at the cabin, it suddenly struck me....yes....Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad!  How good does that sound?

     As I was packing up the food before we headed up north, I still wasn't exactly sure what I was going to put in this pasta salad, so I threw a bunch of possiblilities into the cooler.  Pasta of course, cheese, fresh parsley, oil, vinegar, tomatoes...oh and don't forget the grilled veggies.

     So, first of all, I decided that I would dress it with a balsamic vinaigrette and I would add some fresh garlic to the dressing.  Then I thought that some parsley would brighten up the flavors (really any fresh herb would have been good, but that's what I had), grape tomatoes would add some more freshness to the salad, and parmesan cheese, well.....isn't everthing better with cheese?!

     You could definitely expand this recipe and add some chicken to make it a main dish salad.  Or you could toss the veggies with marinara sauce and turn it into a hot pasta dish.  I think either would be delicious

     Overall my menu on Friday night was pretty simple:

• Grilled hamburgers, with lettuce, tomato and various condiments
• Corn on the cob
• Grilled vegetable pasta salad
• Kettle chips

     It was a lovely evening, so we were able to enjoy our dinner out on the deck.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad



• 1 lb pasta (I used Barilla Plus Multigrain), cooked according to package instructions and cooled
• About 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette (find the recipe on my "A Light Summer Supper Post", but double the quantities and add a clove of minced garlic).
• About 3 cups grilled vegetables, (any assortment you like) chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Handful of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Place pasta, grilled veggies and tomatoes in a large serving bowl.

Toss together and then add vinaigrette, a little at a time, until ingredients are nicely coated, but not overly dressed.  Then mix in cheese, parsley and salt and pepper.

There you go, pretty easy and it was a hit with my family.  Try it yourself and see if it's a hit with your family!

A Light Summer Supper

         Lisa's Dinnertime Dish has moved.  Please visit me at my new and improved blog site!  The new address is http://lisasdinnertimedish.com.  I look forward to seeing you at the new site!!


     This weekend was another busy one for us.  Friday night we went to Tomahawk Boyscout camp, where Alex had spent the week, to see their end of the week awards ceremony.  Then Saturday was spent helping Nicole and Kelly move back to school.  So finally, on Sunday night, I had some time to cook and came up with my version of the Cravings Field Greens Salad and Tomato and Basil Bruschetta. 

Salad and bruschetta for two on the deck

     The salad ended up being quite easy.  I did my shopping at Trader Joe's and bought a bag of spring mix greens, so there was no prep with that, just open.  I made some herb croutons out of ciabatta bread and seasoned them with herbes de provence (a blend you can find at most grocery stores) and then I made a very simple balsamic vinaigrette, with just balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper.  The other two components of the salad were sliced red onion and grape tomatoes.

     The bruschetta came together pretty easily, as well.  I found locally grown tomatoes at Trader Joe's that had great flavor (they tasted like tomatoes!), fresh mozzarella, a baguette and fresh basil.  Add to that olive oil, garlic and a balsamic reduction and you have some pretty tasty bruschetta!  There were a few more steps to this than the salad.  After slicing the bread and brushing it with olive oil, I put it under the broiler until one side started to toast up, then I flipped it over and put it back under for just a short time.  I then topped it with the mozzerella and put it back under the broiler until the cheese was just starting to melt.  Then I pulled it out and put the rest of the toppings on it.

     Steve thought the salad tasted similar to the Cravings salad and he really liked the bruschetta.  The only thing I'd do differently next time would be to not reduce the balsamic quite so much.  It ended up almost the consistency of carmel, which is too sticky.  What I didn't realize is that the reduction would continue to thicken as it cooled off.  So keep that in mind if you try this.

     I have to say, I was pretty pleased with how both recipes turned out. It was a great light supper on a warm summer evening!  I will definitely be making both recipes again!


                                                Field Greens Salad

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices ciabatta bread, cut into small cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp herbes de provence
• 1-5 oz bag spring mix greens
• 1 cup (more if you like) grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly

In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard together.  While whisking, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Continue whisking until the oil is incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium to large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add bread cubes, tossing occasionally, until nicely toasted.  Sprinkle with herbes and toss.  Remove from pan and reserve.

In a large bowl, mix greens, onions and tomatoes together.  Drizzle dressing over the top (a little at a time, so it's not over-dressed) and toss until coated. Divide on to salad plates, top with croutons and fresh cracked pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6

                                           Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2 oz fresh mozzerella, cut into a small dice
• 10 leaves fresh basil, cut into small strips (roll the leaves up together and then slice)
• 6-8 1 1/2" slices of baquette, cut on a sharp angle
• Olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and sliced in half
• salt and pepper

Heat broiler on high.
Place balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low.  Reduce until vinegar coats the back of a spoon (be careful not to take it too far, it will thicken more as it cools).

While the vinegar reduces, toss the tomatoes and half of the basil with about 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil place slices on a cookie sheet.  Place cookie sheet under the broiler.  When the baguette starts to get brown around the edges, remove from oven.

rub cut side of garlic over each piece.  Turn pieces over and put cookie sheet back in the oven until baquette is barely starting to get brown.  Remove from oven again, rub each piece with garlic and divide cheese equally on top of pieces.  Put cookie sheet in the oven one last time until the cheese is just starting to melt.  Remove from oven.

Place baquette slices on individual plates or on a serving platter.  Divide tomato basil mixture equally on top of each piece.  Drizzle with the balsamic reduction, sprinkle with the rest of the basil and top with fresh cracked pepper.  Enjoy!