A couple of months ago I branched out in my crouton selection at Teeters and hit pay dirt. Cardini's are hands down the best croutons I've ever had and it's become a bit of a problem...
I generally polish off half a bag by the time I finish even preparing my big salad which, kind of defeats the point of having "a big salad". In an attempt to curb my lack of discipline I've resorted to buying the less addictive but, equally as yummy, "Caesar" flavor. The above bag of "Romano Cheese" having been purchased during a relapse...
Mr. Cardini was the creator of the Caesar Salad which, makes them the perfect accompaniment to my late Uncle Jack's famous take on this recipe. At least, they will be if I can contain myself during the prep...
Uncle Jack's Caesar Salad
2 heads Romain rinsed, dried and torn into bite sized pieces
3 strips anchovies
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves
Mix til a paste then add:
glass of Sherry
4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
raw egg
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Poupon
1/2 (juice of) lemon
12 chopped, stuffed olives
Cardini's Croutons (Romano Cheese if you dare)
Rinse lettuce leaf by leaf and let dry. Now dry hands and drink glass of Sherry. Pour dressing over lettuce (but not til you see the whites of their eyes!), add Cardini's Croutons and serve on chilled plates. Some may prefer to skip the raw egg, or like my mom, just pretend to. It was years before she revealed to me that the small oval shape drawn on the back of her recipe index card was indeed her way of hiding that ingredient from my father.
Kindness of my mother for allowing me to reveal her family secret AND for running interference with my father on this post. Also, heads up for PVE who will eventually be called upon to put her spin on the family Caesar Salad illustration since no one seems to be coming forward with having "borrowed" mine...XXOO
Wonderful - We have a "bread drawer" and it holds bread from which I make home-made croutons - served warm from the oven on top of a salad with cheese is my idea of Salad Heaven!
ReplyDelete(Thanks for the heads up on the Salad Spin- I can see it now, Ceaser in a toga holding up the salad bowl an the bag of Croutons in one hand....
pve
Great. Caesar salad with grilled chicken is the go to meal for those of us who are over 50 and lunching out. Maybe for lunching in now too...
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be quite the crouton connosieur. Unfortuantely BabyGirl has discovered them too and when we're eating out, starts picking them out of my salad the moment it hits the table. It's so predictable that I had my camera ready one time to capture it. You can see her chubby little hand reaching for them. I should post it. (I always get blog ideas when visiting yours)...
ReplyDeleteWish someone would make some lowfat/low-cal ones and I could take the bag with me to restaurants cuz I like lots of them...I really like that crunch...
I share your affinity for the crouton. If I discover this brand, it will probably be the end of me. Your post has made me very hungry for a good salad! :)
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