Yummy Caesar salad dressing ... in the Thermomix

We recently bought a BBQ chicken from the shop and decided to use some of it for a Caesar salad. I've posted in the past about my Caesar salad, where I usually use the Cardini's Caesar salad dressing for the salad, but this time we were out.

I decided to try my hand at making my own Caesar dressing instead and looked around for a recipe to use. I knew I wanted a recipe that used anchovies but also not a raw recipe that used egg yolks that were uncooked.

This recipe that I found turned out to be perfect and it seemed simple enough to do and convert in the Thermomix so that's what I went with.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

• In the Thermomix bowl, mix together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce on speed 7 for 5 seconds. Scrape down sides.
• Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and mixed until well combined on speed 7 for 10 seconds. Taste and adjust to your liking.

I used 4 or 5 (I can't remember exactly!) cloves of garlic because I like garlic, plus instead of anchovy paste because I didn't have any of that, I just used whole anchovies and blended it up in the Thermomix.

For the mayonnaise, I used whole egg mayonnaise instead of the usual Kraft or Praise mayonnaise, which I find tends to taste a bit sweet and vinegary at the same time, and I'm not a fan of. I think whole egg mayonnaise generally tastes a lot better, but of course, if you prefer a lighter dressing, by all means use a low fat or fat free mayonnaise.

This recipe takes next to no time at all to make and it is so tasty, there was no need to add any salt or pepper.

The next time I need Caesar dressing, I'm not going to the store for a bottle, I'm going to make it myself!

If you do make this, be sure to post pictures for me to see either on Instagram - be sure to tag me with @langshipley or on my Daz In The Kitchen Facebook page.


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A simple but delicious chicken Caesar salad

Small aside: I wrote this post in the Summer, but I'm just posting it now. Somehow, I failed to post it when it was written. It's Winter here right now!!

I'm a huge fan of the chicken Caesar salad. When I am not sure what I want to eat when I'm out for lunch and it's a warm day, this salad is always a tasty option. Of course, the quality and taste varies from place to place, but for the most part, I enjoy it a great deal.

Last night was hot, hot, hot, a nasty 37 degrees C and The House was sizzling. We had the AC on but couldn't bring ourselves to do much cooking that involved heat, either from the stove or the oven.

We decided on a chicken Caesar salad since it was quick and easy.

Here's my RECIPE for this delicious and simple salad:

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken thigh fillets of cooked chicken cut into bite size pieces, seasoned with Masterfoods Season All
• 4 tablespoons Caesar salad dressing (we use Cardini's)
• 120g Lettuce salad mix or cos lettuce
• Garlic salt (my not-so-secret ingredient)
• 1 handful shredded cheese (I just use the Coles Pizza cheese mix)
• 1 hard boiled egg quartered
• Croutons (optional)

Instructions:

• Place a layer of salad mix in the bottom of a large salad or mixing bowl, then sprinkle a small amount of garlic salt over the top of the lettuce.
• Repeat until all the salad mix is in the bowl.
• Drizzle some of the Caesar dressing on top of the salad mix - I use about 4 tablespoons for the two of us, but you can use whatever amount you like, depending on how much dressing you want in your salad.
• Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the dressing and mixed everything together.
• Top the mixed salad with the chicken pieces and serve up salad onto plates
• Once the Caesar salad is in the plates you are serving with, place the quartered hard boiled eggs on top of the salad.
• Enjoy!

This recipe serves two people for dinner with nothing else to accompany, so it's quite large and filling.

When I am more inclined, I cook my own chicken thigh fillets but last night, The Boy decided that we just buy a roast BBQ chicken from Coles so that we could have the chicken for the salad and then also for sandwiches and eating as cold meats to accompany an antipasto dish. I actually really do enjoy the Coles BBQ chicken since they are quite tasty and still fresh and hot when you buy them. Usually, when we buy them, I bring them home and take the meat off the bones - breast, drumstick and thigh. I also take all the other meat around the chicken carcass off and put them together for the salad and anything else I want to use them for. Then I enjoy nibbling on the bones, the chicken wings and the stuffing as a small snack.

I have in the past made my own salad dressing but last night we decided to just run to the store and get a pre-made salad dressing. Cardini's is The Boy's favorite even though it also has the most calories, but really, it's the tastiest. The other one that we like is the Paul Newman Caesar dressing, either the Newman's Own Caesar Dressing or the creamy version.

The garlic salt makes a huge difference to the taste of the salad. Don't use a lot, but just a little sprinkle between the layers of lettuce as you place it into the bowl for mixing adds a lot of depth to the flavor of the salad.

An alternative to the shredded cheese is also just straight shredded Parmesan cheese - something like this, though it doesn't need to be this exact brand. Just make sure it is shredded so you get texture and not the powdered or finely grated stuff for pasta.

Since there are the two of us, we each got two quarters each for the hard boiled egg but you can decide how much egg you like.

Notice I don't have croutons in my recipe, but that's entirely up to you. I don't like croutons, so for me, I leave them out. If you like them, of course, include them.

I hope you enjoy this very simple salad recipe. It's one of my favorites.


© This work is copyrighted to Invest-Ex and Destiny's Fortunes Pty Ltd


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