Hail Caesar (salad)!

I like stories about how foods or particular dishes came to exist – like eggs Benedict (a hangover cure), pavlova (named after Russian ballet dancer) or the Margarita (crafted by a bar-tender in the 1940s to impress actress Rita Hayworth).

I think it’s the context of why a certain dish or drink was created that I like, and by extension, how that dish or drink has lasted the test of time and is now part and parcel of social parlance.

Take a pinch of salt for example; I know salt isn’t technically a food or a dish but bear with me on this…

Back in the day, not only did the ancients use salt to season and preserve food, it was also held to be an antiseptic. Hence, the Roman word for salt crystals – sal – is closely linked to the Goddess of Health, Salus.

Salt has also permeated language due to its value. Again, in ancient Rome, the Via Salaria was the ‘salt route,’ the road upon which merchants drove ox carts full of the precious crystals. Such was its value, salt was used as a form of payment.

A Roman soldier’s wages, which was supplemented with salt, was known as the ‘solarium argentum’, a term from which we derive the word, ‘salary.’ How genial is that!

You may or may not know but Caesar salad is turning 100 this month – on July 4 to be exact. Legend has it (although there are conflicting narratives) that one Caesar Cardini invented the famous salad concoction in 1924 at his restaurant, Caesar’s Palace in Tijuana in Mexico. Legend also has it that Cardini was trying to feed an influx of people from California, a thirsty bunch who had crossed the border into Tijuana during the time of Prohibition.

On that fateful night, Cardini had to make do with the ingredients that he had in stock: Romaine lettuce leaves, lemons, eggs, parmesan and Worcestershire sauce and so he reputedly found himself in the middle of the restaurant tossing the Romaine leaves with the ingredients he had to hand. Little did he know how well the resultant salad would take off.

One hundred years later, we are still eating the great man’s creation, so much so, that Tijuana is planning to commemorate the centenary later this month with a massive food festival, alongside the unveiling of a statue of the famous restauranteur.

I read lately that Cardini never varied his recipe for the salad and never used anchovies; no doubt he is still doing head over heels in his grave at the chemical rubbish used in the Cardini range of salad dressings.

I regularly make Caesar salad at home, especially in summer months (such as they are) and so it’s nice to know the history behind the dish.

Unlike Mr Cardini, I use anchovies in my dressing (I think their umami tang is unbeatable) and unlike the Cardini range of dressings, there’s no chemical muck in mine.

However, I must admit that I also prefer chicken on my Caesar salad; without the extra protein it doesn’t really work as a meal. So there, Mr Cardini.

INGREDIENTS (FOR TWO)

1 free range egg

1 small clove of garlic, grated

tbsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of white wine vinegar

3 anchovy fillets, chopped and then mashed into a paste with the flat of a knife

Half tsp of mustard

220ml of mild olive oil

2 tbsps of freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 large romaine lettuce, washed and leaves separated

croutons, handful of

handful of left over chicken, chopped or shredded

THE PLAN

To make the dressing crack the egg into a large jar/ tall receptacle and add the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and mustard. Lastly pour in the oil and let the whole show settle for a minute or two.

Place a stick blender into the receptacle, right down at the bottom and then give it full power for at least ten seconds until everything begins to emulsify into a young mayonnaise.

At that stage you can move the blender up and down a few times until it’s all combined and thickened.

Once it’s thickened, stir through the anchovy paste, taste and a then adjust the seasoning. It’s probably won’t need a lot of salt on account of the salty anchovies.

To assemble the salad dump the lettuce leaves into a mixing bowl and pour over a couple of tablespoons of the dressing.

Mix things around to coat all the leaves and then divide into two large serving bowls. Sprinkle over the croutons and chicken, add a liberal sprinkling of parmesan and tuck in without delay. Head over heels.