They say all good things come to those who wait. If this is true, then I am SO GLAD I waited to discover something as simple as salads. Or at least, that is what I choose to tell myself. Of course, raitas and the usual onion, tomato, cucumber mixed with chilli and lemon were always a part of the equation while growing up, but it is only recently that I discovered that there is this whole other dimension to this versatile dish - which was revealed to me a few years ago when I first ate a Ceasar salad. Even today, the flavours are fresh in my mind - the crunch of the lettuce, the creamy bits of cheese, those surprise bits of crispy croutons...you get the drift. So harking back to this wonderful memory, I decided to make this Ceaser Salad.
It is most definitely not the traditional recipe, considering I just threw in whatever I had at home, but I think that is one of the great things about salads - the recipe allows for you to throw in or leave out as you please. However, I did not want to compromise on croutons, and I didn't have them, so I decided to make them at home instead - like I have been doing with most things this lockdown. I have made so many things I would have otherwise gotten from a supermarket, or ordered online (including an excellent mango ice cream, the recipe for which I will share later). So today being a Saturday, and considering I have a bit of time on my hands, here's a double recipe - Croutons and Ceaser Salad.
Caesar Salad
Flavours: mildly spicy, tangy, creamy
Textures: crunchy, juicy
Ingredients
Lettuce: 1 cup (use any lettuce, I used iceberg lettuce)
Cherry tomatoes: 10, cut in halves
Onion: 1, sliced lengthwise
Yellow capsicum: 1/2, julienned
Green capsicum: 1/2 julienned
Carrot: 1, julienned
Parmesan cheese: 20 gm (approx 2 tbsps for garnish, I used Mozzarella)
Croutons: 1/2 cup (or how much ever you want)
Southwest salad dressing: 2 tbsp (I used Veeba's fat-free dressing)
Lemon: 1, juiced
Method
In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients, except cheese, together. Garnish with cheese and serve.
As said earlier, this is not the traditional recipe, especially in terms of dressing. The more traditional dressing includes whisking minced garlic, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and red wine vinegar with olive oil to make an emulsion. Alternatively, you could opt to put in store-bought Caesar Salad dressing.
Homemade Croutons
Flavours: herbaceous, garlic-ky
Textures: crispy and crunchy
Ingredients
Bread: 6/7 slices, cut up in cubes (I used 6 pieces of pav bread)
Olive oil: 1/4 cup (substitute with same amount of melted butter if you like)
Italian herb mix (seasoning): 1 tbsp
Pepper: 1/2 tsp (ground/powdered)
Garlic powder: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degree C or 375 degree F. Line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper and keep it aside.
Take the oil/butter in a small bowl and add in the seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk till it is all well combined.
In a larger bowl, add the bread cubes and this oil mix and toss it all together till the whole thing is somewhat evenly coated.
Spread the slices on to your baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them because they tend to burn really quick.
Take it out, cool completely and use immediately. Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week.
Tips:
You could crumble the croutons and use them as bread crumbs as well to coat meat/veggies before deep frying.
Make sure your bread is spread in a single layer and not tumbled together on your baking tray so that it bakes evenly.
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