It is curious that “Caesar” (by the way, the most popular salad in the world) has nothing to do with Gaius Julius, or in general with Rome. We continue to talk about dishes that appeared randomly.
It was in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during the Great Depression, in the restaurant of the Italian Cesare (Caesar) Cardini. Here, fleeing from Prohibition, guests from the United States came. One company showed up quite late, when there were almost no provisions left. “Aut Caesar, aut nihil” (“Pan or lost”) – thought Cesare and prepared an appetizer from the available products: toasted bread with olive oil and garlic, Worcester sauce and parmesan.
The highlight was the dressing, a one-minute boiled egg, a glossy, enveloping dressing for lettuce leaves. Anchovies, chicken, shrimp – all these Caesar ingredients we are used to were not included in the original recipe, especially since it never had mayonnaise … Soon Caesar became popular and was even recognized in America as the “recipe of the century.”
Classic Caesar salad
For 5 people
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 400 g of romano salad
- 1/4 baguette
- 1 clove garlic
- 50 ml olive oil
- 2 raw eggs
- 2 century. l. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut the white bread into cubes about 1 centimeter, put on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and dry in the oven, turning them over once. Rub the sides of the salad bowl with garlic. Lay out coarsely chopped salad greens. Boil water in a saucepan and dip eggs at room temperature in it for 60 seconds. Remove and break into salad greens. Add Worcestershire sauce, stir. Add grated cheese, garlic croutons, salt and pepper to taste.
Another treat we owe to the USA of the 1930s is chocolate chip cookies. Their author was Ruth Wakefield, and this story has two versions – which is better, you decide. One way or another, chocolate drops got into the dough of sugar cookies: either they woke up from the vibration of the mixer, or Ruth added them herself, wanting to bake chocolate cookies.
She thought that the drops would dissolve and mix with the dough when heated, but this did not happen – and the result exceeded expectations, leaving her name in history. Chocolate chip cookies became especially popular during World War II – thousands of American soldiers asked to be sent to the front.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
For 10 people
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Waiting time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 125 g soft butter
- 1 egg
- 150 g cane sugar
- 280 g flour
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 / 4 hours. L. salt
- 1/4 st. chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 180°C. In a bowl or bowl of a food processor, combine butter, egg, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Add flour and salt, mix, add chocolate chips. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into small balls, flatten each one slightly and spread on a baking sheet at a distance of 2 centimeters from each other. Bake 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
About expert
Katya Pal – Founder of the Non-Cooking Club and culinary school “PRAcooking”. Graduate of Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland.