Monday, October 1, 2007

GUY'S CAESAR SALAD


Guy spent about 11 years in the Caribbean, working for Cable and Wireless. They contracted with him to lay cable on the Island of St. Lucia. Part of the contract stipulated that he had to work with and teach the locals. The job, if done in America, would have lasted about 1-1/2 years, tops. He has always said he would write a book about his experiences, but I think it's already been done. He wasn't the first to experience the myriad delays and snafus that come with working with islanders. His stories make for a lot of laughs over cocktails. One of his more serious but nice stories is about the 10th anniversary celebration of St. Lucia's independence. Prince Charles was invited, since St. Lucia declared independence from Great Britain. Only the top echelon of St. Lucia's society were invited to the more private ceremonies, including Guy. We framed the invitations, because he doesn't expect to be in the presence of royalty again in his lifetime. Guy ate a lot of dinners in St. Lucia, especially at the La Toc Hotel (It was sold and is now Sandals.) One of their specialties was Caesar salad, and they mixed it tableside. Caesar salad continues to be one of his favorite menu items, but making it at home can be a little too much work. That's how this recipe was born. It was actually a recipe from a friend, and Guy adjusted it to our liking. It's quite easy and will give the flavor of Caesar salad without all the fuss. And I believe it's maybe a tad lower-calorie as well.

Guy's Caesar Salad
INGREDIENTS: 1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. minced garlic (or more if you are a garlic lover)
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. Grey Poupon mustard
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3-4 Tbsp. Cardini's Original Caesar Dressing (look in the salad dressing aisle
of your favorite food store, not in the refrigerated section--I buy it in
Wal-Mart)
8-10 medium-sized Romaine lettuce leaves, cut into serving pieces (I buy the
Romaine hearts--medium-sized leaves would be the outer leaf size)
1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese, or a mixture of hard cheeses
(We use Kraft Shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago Cheeses -- in
the refrigerated cheese section of the food store)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Guy recommends a wooden bowl for this (check in Wal-Mart or Target if you need to buy one. Also, Target has great wooden "forks" very cheap-- see above photo) Using a pestle -- you know, the part of the mortar and pestle that you crush the herbs with -- mix the salt and garlic till it is like a paste. Add the next 4 ingredients and continue to mix everything until well combined. Add lettuce and cheese and toss to coat well. Serve salad. Grind fresh black pepper over individual servings. Yield: 4 servings

1 comment:

Cookie Madness said...

Cardinis is good! I like how you kind of doctored it a bit.