Basic Caesar Salad

Unless you just want to eat lettuce all by itself and without any dressing, you can't get much simpler than your basic Caesar salad.

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The original Caesar salad is generally believed to have been invented by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in both Mexico and the United States; but a number of other persons associated with the restaurants have claimed credit for its invention, as well. Cardini lived in San Diego but ran one of his restaurants in Tijuana to attract American customers seeking to circumvent the restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol, during Prohibition.

Modern versions of the salad differ somewhat from the original, at least according to Cardini’s family. A typical modern Caesar salad is, at its heart, a pile of chopped Romaine, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and slathered with Caesar dressing. The salad is often amended with croutons, and/or olives and can contain other (optional) ingredients; and it is frequently topped with roasted chicken or turkey, or even cooked shrimp.

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Suggested Equipment:

• Cutting board
  
• Long knife
  
• Bowls
  
• Kitchen measures
  
• A cheese grater or shaver (optional)
  

Ingredients:

1. Or as much as you want...
   
   
2. Optional. It's still a Caesar if you stop with the dressing.
   
   

Item		Amount
Lettuce	Romaine, large head	1	ea
Cheese	Parmesan, grated or shaved	½	cup
Dressing	Caesar	¼	cup1
Olives2	Green, black, Kalamata, or a mix of these	24	ea
Bell pepper2	Diced, any color, or a mix of colors	2	tbs
Croutons2	Herb-seasoned or plain	½	cup
Meat2	Cooked chicken, turkey, shrimp, or whatever	4	oz

Directions:

Preparing the salad is actually a lot simpler than reading the directions would imply. I've just broken down the steps and arranged them to (hopefully) improve the ergonomics.

1. Begin by preparing the Parmesan cheese. If you bought your cheese already grated, you can skip this step. Grate or shave the cheese to obtain a minimum of ½ cup, and set aside.

2. If you are using any of the optional toppings, pre-measure them into mise bowls, and set them aside.

3. Wash the Romaine. Remove and discard any damaged or discolored leaves. cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces, and place in a large mixing bowl.

4. Distribute the Parmesan evenly over the chopped lettuce, then drizzle the dressing to cover. Toss the salad with two forks to insure thorough distribution.

5. Divide the salad between two salad bowls, distribute any optional toppings, and serve

This salad can be very diabetic-friendly, if you use a low- or no-sugar dressing and don't get crazy with the croutons. I make it pretty often, using my own Sort-of Caesar Dressing with very satisfactory results.