SYRACUSE, N.Y. — In this week’s, “What’s on the Menu?”, segment on Weekend Today in Central York, viewers learn how to make Grilled Caesar Salad.
Watch the clip above for step-by-step instructions.
Matt Read will appear on NBC3 Sunday mornings at 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.!
Recipe:
Most people think one of the Roman emperors made this, but in reality, it’s named after a chef, Caesar Cardini, an Italian who invented the famous salad while running a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. This is the perfect summer dish.
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts (we marinated them in our homemade dressing, below, before grilling)
- 3 heads of romaine lettuce
- 1 jar of sun dried tomatoes
- 1 lb. of cooked and chopped bacon
- Grilled or roasted corn
- Fresh mushrooms
- Shaved parmesan
- Pre-made croutons with Pastabilities bread (grilled, a little chewy, we’ll pull these off the grill as we grill the rest of them
For the basting oil –
- 4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
- Fresh herbs
For the dressing –
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste
- 3 cloves garlic , pressed with a garlic press, grated, or finely minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 – 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 – 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, depending on your tastes
- 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
Directions:
Before we get to cooking, we make the dressing –
In a glass mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, anchovy paste, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and garlic and stir. Whisk in sour cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Place in airtight container in the refrigerator until serving
For the basting oil, a few days in advance, mix everything equally and let sit at room temperature for a few days in an airtight container
Heat your grill to medium heat
Start grilling your chicken breasts, remove when done. You should start grilling these 10 minutes before grilling the romaine hearts
Take some basting oil, apply to your bread for your croutons and grill until there are grill marks on both sides and set aside
Cut of the tough ends of the romaine hearts and then cut again in half, and baste each side
We’ll grill each side until they get good and wilted and have grill marks on both sides.
Take them off the grill, plate them, then top with roasted corn, tomatoes, bacon, fresh mushrooms, shaved parm, place some sliced chicken on them, then drizzle with the dressing
Serve your salad and dine in
Bonus Tip – You can use any protein or tofu with this, shrimp works well, as does salmon. Additionally, the basting oil is great for dipping fresh bread into, or veggies before grilling to go with anything you’re making. It also works well as a marinade for meats and fish, too.
