FOR THE SALAD
3 thick slices white sourdough (or 3 thick slices of white bread)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 rashers of streaky bacon
Cooked chicken breast or leftover chicken 
1 large cos or romaine lettuce, leaves separated
Sea salt & pepper

FOR THE DRESSING
1 garlic clove
1 tub of white anchovies (4 anchovies for the dressing and the rest for garnish) or 1 tsp anchovy paste for dressing
Medium block parmesan or Grano Padano cheese (you won’t use it all)
250ml mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional)*
Dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)*
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
*A true Caesar salad contains mustard and Worcestershire sauce, but if you don’t like or don’t want them, you don’t need to add them, and you will still enjoy the salad.

METHOD 
1. Heat oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan or gas mark 6. Cut the sourdough into squares. Spread over a large baking sheet or tray and sprinkle over 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning the croutons a few times during cooking, so they brown evenly. Wee tip: some ovens can be hotter than others, so always keep an eye on the croutons so they don’t burn (unless you like them a bit well-fired, of course).
2. Cook streaky bacon until crispy and put to the side to cool. Cut or break the bacon into small to medium pieces.
3. Bash one garlic clove with the flat of a knife and peel off the skin. Crush with a garlic crusher. Mash four anchovies with a fork against the side of a small bowl.
4. Grate a handful of parmesan cheese and mix with the garlic, anchovies, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and one tbsp white wine vinegar. Season to taste. It should be the consistency of yoghurt – if yours is thicker, stir in a splash of rapeseed or olive oil. Wee tip: you can use a blender like a ninja or nutri bullet, but be careful; they can be quite fast and may split your dressing. If you use a blender, I wouldn’t add all the mayo, just half; pulse mix, then stir in the remaining mayo.
5. Tear one large cos or romaine lettuce and keep two to three whole leaves aside for each bowl. The remaining leaves either tear roughly or chop into smaller pieces and put in a large bowl. Add a touch of the Caesar dressing, put a plate over the bowl, and shake to coat the leaves. Then divide in half into serving bowls. Pull chicken into bite-size strips and scatter over the leaves with the croutons and crispy bacon.
6. Drizzle more dressing onto the Caesar salad and use a peeler to shave Parmesan slivers from your cheese block, sprinkle on top, and serve immediately. I also find a wee grind of black pepper over the top really lifts it too.

TOP TIPS

Caesar salad is a quick and filling meal but can also be a great side dish. If you make your salad without the chicken, it is a great side dish for steak and burgers. And the anchovies in the dish make it awesome with lamb. Fantastic option as we start firing up the BBQs again


Don’t eat meat? No problem Belhaven Smokehouse cold or hot smoked salmon also work well on a Caesar salad. Or use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan; remove the anchovies and replace with capers and roast sweet potato for a vegan-friendly option


Chicken Caesar is a great way to use chicken leftovers, but you can also quickly cook some chicken with lemon and rosemary to make this quick salad.


Fun Fact: Caesar salad was actually invented in Mexico in the 1920s by restaurateur Caesar Cardini. It’s rumoured that he ran out of everything due to a busy spell in his restaurant, so he made something with what he had left. The salad was prepared at the diner’s table and still is in certain restaurants in Mexico and California.

Lewis & Clarke
2a Main Street, Gifford EH41 4QH | 01620 811001
info@lcartisan.co.uk