Now that we are spending a lot of time indoors, I find I am craving comfort foods from mac and cheese to mashed potatoes and gravy. Needless to say, the effects of this carb fest only take about three days to manifest themselves as I struggle to zip my pants. So I decided to make a large chicken Caesar salad and get some protein and greens in my diet. My recipe uses raw egg that I dip in boiling water briefly to 140 for 3 minutes, then place the eggs under cold running water or in ice bath before using. If you don’t eat eggs or don’t want to use a raw egg, you can sub mayonnaise or eggless mayo instead.
The dressing:
1/4 cup of EVOO
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 raw egg (how to pasteurize raw eggs) How To Pasteurize A Raw Egg or 2 tablespoons of Mayo
1/4 teaspoon of dijon mustard
a pinch of salt
a generous few turns of the pepper mill
1 clove of fresh garlic
2 anchovy fillets (optional)
Mash the garlic with the mustard (and optional anchovies) and place in food processor with the lemon juice. Add the raw egg into the machine and slowly add the olive oil until it begins to look creamy and then add the cheese and blend until smooth.
Taste for salt and add your pinch according to taste. Add black pepper to your preference.
Cut from the bottom and then trim your garden Romaine lettuce. Then tear or rough chop into bite-size pieces and add the dressing in parts while tossing it, so as not to overdress the salad. I like to dress it lightly and leave a bit of extra dressing on the table for people who like more dressing.
Top with sliced chicken breast that you have prepared or take it from a rotisserie chicken. Be sure to slice against the grain.
Finish with a sprinkle of grated cheese and crumbled crostini or homemade croutons and more around the platter. Serve with a glass of Pinot Grigio from Raphael Vineyards.
