The Free From G Caesar Salad

Hearty Caesar Salad

It's still incredibly hot here and though there were elements of cooking required for this recipe, overall it's a really great meal for a Summer's day. Everything in this Caesar Salad is naturally gluten free except for the croutons, for those I used a trusty Dietary Specials Brown Ciabatta.

This served the two of us as a main.

Ingredients:

1 Round Lettuce
Half a Cucumber
6 Quails Eggs
6 Rashers of Dry Cure Pancetta
1 Dietary Specials Brown Ciabatta
1 Tin of Anchovy Fillets
30g Gruyere
1 Chicken Breast
Bourbon Soaked Oak Wood Chips
Hickory Wood Chips
Pecan Wood Chips
Olive Oil

Directions:

• Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and smoke for 25 minutes - use equal amounts of the 3 wood chips
• Grill the pancetta until crispy - around 10 minutes, drain on kitchen paper
• Bring a small pan of water to a rolling boil add the quails eggs and soft boil for 2 minutes, remove and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds to stop them cooking further. Peel.
• Cut the ciabatta into crouton sized squares and drizzle with olive oil, grill for 5 minutes or until crisp
• Remove the leaves from the lettuce, wash dry and chop into slices
• Peel the cucumber and with a vegetable peeler, slice into ribbons. Discard the watery middle and seeds
• Slice the gruyere thinly
• Chop the anchovy into small pieces
• Add everything to a large bowl

Ingredients for the Caesar Dressing:

3 Heaped Tablespoons Hellman's Mayonnaise

1 Garlic Clove

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Colman's Mustard Powder

2 Heaped Tablespoons Parmesan 

Directions:

• Mince the garlic and add everything to a bowl, whisk or put into a mixer.
• Add to the salad and mix

This is what I consider to be a salad, sure it isn't a weight loss type of salad but leaves alone just don't cut it for me. I need bags of flavour and interesting textures, that's what this version of a Caesar Salad is all about.

The croutons are amazing, if I do say so myself! You would not think they were gluten free. Have to give all the credit to the original ciabatta though, they're seriously good and far better than any other gluten free bread that I've tried. Way, way better.

Another Summery recipe coming tomorrow, it's one of our more refined meals, not typical comfort food but very, very tasty.

Though slightly cooler this weather is still much to hot for me. I'm a snuggler, I love to be cosy. I'm currently a sweaty mess with sausage fingers. I want one of these.