This is a variation on a salad I make pretty regularly, using either Boston or Red Leaf lettuce (as in this case), tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm, sometimes bell pepper, sometimes radish, usually bacon (but not in this case -- it would have a definite plus), and my own dressing which I will describe shortly. Since this was dinner, I ran to the store next door and got some chicken breasts, which I poached in Budweiser (because that's what I had handy, I figured it would add more flavor than water). After poaching, I cut up half a breast and seasoned the meat with salt and pepper.
Here's my dressing -- fair warning, the quantities are sketchy and you are warned to figure it out:
- Juice and pulp from half a lemon or a lime (the pulp is just extra, not critical)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (white vinegar will do in a pinch)
- 2-3 teaspoons of anchovy paste
- 2 teaspoons of garlic paste (the equivalent of fresh garlic is fine, but you may need want a little water or other liquid for the right consistency)
- 2 teaspoons grated parmesan or romano cheese
- generous amount of fresh ground pepper
- a good pinch of Kosher salt
- a few red pepper flakes if you want
All this gets stirred up into a reasonably smooth consistency and makes enough for two salads.
Yes, this is similar to Caesar dressing, but not the same; Caesar includes Dijon mustard and egg yolks, but no vinegar. I simply came up with this as something easy to put together, and which is pretty good even if some of the proportions shift (i.e., more of this, less of that).
I've made this salad many times, so obviously I like it. Any suggestions? If you try my dressing, let me know what you think.
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