The ART in FIRE

You Really Shouldn’t Mess with a Good Thing! Check out Caesar Salad!

So You Think You Can Cook

by Karl Merten

In 1986 after graduating from Fresno State with my degree in Ag business and no money in my pocket I moved home and commenced in beginning my career in food service.  I joke to my friends and acquaintances that I am taking the winding road to production agriculture.  This will be my 21st year in food service and 14 years as a restaurant owner.  And that doesn’t include my time working for my dad at his deli’s in San Francisco.  But that’s another story.  I began working with my aunt and uncle at Kaffee Barbara in Lafayette, a quaint breakfast and lunch café.  Serving sandwiches, salads and the best homemade soups known to man.  My aunt Elizabeth made the best soups imaginable.  Anyway the evening chef “Robert” had been running the evening for a few years and was amazing with his approach to California cuisine. Well one of his creations was a traditional Caesar salad which I fell in love with.  His presentation revolved around serving the salad with whole leave (uncut or chopped) And wouldn’t you know it my Caesar salad is served whole leaves.  You really shouldn’t mess with a good thing. And for the most part it graces the menus of most restaurants today. For those of you unfamiliar with the Caesar salad here is a brief history that has brought it to near cult like status among salads.

“Most historians believe that Caesar salad honors restaurateur Caesar Cardini (1896-1956), who invented it in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924 on the Fourth of July weekend. It is said that on this busy weekend, Cardini was running low on food and he put together a salad for his guests from what was left over in the kitchen. His original recipe included romaine, garlic, croutons, and Parmesan cheese, boiled eggs, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce. The original salad was prepared at tableside. When the salad dressing was ready, the romaine leaves were coated with the dressing and placed stem side out, in a circle and served on a flat dinner plate, so that the salad could be eaten with the fingers.

My version of the Caesar salad dressing includes anchovies, lots of fresh garlic and the substitution of mayonnaise for the eggs.  The romaine lettuce by itself is quite bitter at times but with the addition of this strong acidic dressing it is transformed into a refreshing and exciting salad.  Over the years I have prepared the salad grilled as a wilted salad topped with grilled chicken.  And our favorite at my restaurant is the blackened salmon Caesar, one of the popular entrée salads since opening the Café in 1995.  But today, the version of the Caesar that is most popular is our Sante Fe Blackened Chicken Caesar.  I’ve added a black bean & corn salsa to the salad and topped it with crisp fried tortilla strips.  I called it Sante Fe because within the salsa I add cumin a very popular spice in New Mexico cooking, plus it pays homage to corn, a predominant south western ingredient.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
1 cup black beans fully cooked, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn kernels (best if blanched on the cob then lightly grilled or just grilled or if in a pinch for time frozen)
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½-1 finely diced jalapeno pepper
½  cup diced red onion
½ cup diced tomato
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 tsp fresh garlic crushed or finely chopped
2-3 T lemon and or lime juice
1 T vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and keep refrigerated till ready to use.  This mixture gets generously sprinkled over your Caesar Salad then topped with tortilla strips and blackened chicken breast slices.  And enjoy with a very large cold beverage.  This makes a very refreshing and filling evening meal when it’s ssssoooooo HOT outside.