Salads as meals

CAESAR SALAD

This salad is believed to have been invented by Caesar Cardini, who kept a restaurant in Mexico. A large crowd arrived late one night and asked for a salad. He made it with the lettuce, anchovies, eggs and bread that he happened to have left over. Thus this classic salad was created.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, sliced into slivers

4 thick slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 lettuce

4 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1 egg

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard

1oz Parmesan cheese, shaved

Method

1. Fry the garlic in the oil over a high heat until golden then remove the garlic and discard.

2.Add the bread cubes to the pan and fry over a high heat until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain well on kitchen paper.

3. Arrange the lettuce leaves in a large salad bowl.

4. Mash the anchovies and mix with the capers and bread cubes.

5. Lightly boil the egg and let it cool in cold water. Break it into a small bowl, and add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard and blend together. Pour this over the salad.

6. Scatter the Parmesan over the top and serve immediately.

WALDORF SALAD

This was made famous by a chef in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, a fascinating art deco hotel. The original Waldorf dated back to 1893 but was demolished for the Empire State Building and the present one, in Park Avenue, was built in 1931.

The salad’s ingredients have also changed during the years. Cole Porter mentioned it in his song “You’re the Top”, and John Cleese in 'Fawlty Towers' said “I’m clean out of Waldorfs”!

Ingredients

4 sticks of celery

1 large eating apple

50g (2oz) walnut pieces

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Trim the celery and cut it into ¼ in slices. Core the apple (and peel if desired), and chop it into ½ inch cubes. If the walnut pieces are large, chop them in half, otherwise leave them as they are.

2. Put the ingredients into a bowl, add the mayonnaise, and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

SPICY COUSCOUS SALAD

An ideal meal for a vegetarian

Ingredients

12 floz boiling water

1 tablespoon mild curry paste

¼teaspoon salt

½lb couscous

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 small red or green pepper, diced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2oz raisins

Salt and pepper

Method

1. In a large saucepan, bring the water to the boil with the salt and curry paste. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the couscous. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the grain to swell, stirring continuously.

2. Place the onion and pepper in a suitable container with the vegetable oil, and par-cook in the microwave for 2 minutes.

3. Mix the vegetables into the couscous. Add the raisins with the seasoning and allow to stand for at least 2 hours before serving so as to allow the flavours to merge.

GADO GADO

This is a delicious salad from Indonesia.

Ingredients

Sauce

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 plump clove garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon chilli powder

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 teaspoon medium curry paste

3 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter

8 floz water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Salad

1 cup blanched green beans

1 cup cooked new potatoes, diced

2 cups shredded Chinese leaves

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Method

1. Gently fry the onion, garlic and chilli in the oil until soft.

2. Stir in the curry paste and cook for one minute.

3. Add the peanut butter, water, soy sauce and lemon / lime juice. Bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, and keep warm.

4. Arrange the salad ingredients on a large platter and pour the sauce over the salad. Serve immediately.