Takes a bit of time to make the croutons but they are worth it for a special lunch!
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 4-5 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce or anchovy paste both are optional, but do make a difference!
Salad and Croutons
- 2 heads of Romaine hearts or one large head of Romaine lettuce
- Smoked bacon Lardons or even bette pancetta (double pack if pre prepped) or 6 slices smoked bacon sliced
- 2-4 thick slices of fresh sourdough bread , enough to make about 2 cups of cubes
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- hunk of parmesan cheese for shaving over the finished salad
Instructions
Place chicken breasts in chopping board and cut in half horizontally through the middle so with each one you get two smaller breasts. Place in a bowl. Drizzle with about a tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with your herb mix or season and mix well. Cover and pop in fridge for as long as poss (up to 12 hours if doing day before).
2. Put the dressing ingredient into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. You should not need salt since the parmesan and Worcestershire sauce add enough already) Set aside or even store in the fridge till needed. Can be made in advance the day before.
Wash, dry and tear the larger leaves of Romaine, add to large bowl.Leave the smaller leaves intact if desired, and add to the bowl.
Take a paper towel and dampen just a touch with cold water. Drape over the bowl and place in the fridge.(will stop lettuce wilting)
Remove some of the harder end crusts from the sourdough. Cut into think slices then into large crouton sized cubes (bite size). Lay all out on a plate or tray to dry ever so slightly while you work on the dressing and bacon.
- Place the bacon lardons in a frying pan and sauté at medium heat until cooked through and slightly crisp and tinged light brown, but not dry crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
In the pan, remove all but 1-2 tbsp of the bacon fat. There should be enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan without being too deep. Sprinkle the thyme and oregano evenly over the oil. If there isn't enough supplement with olive oil.
Raising the heat to medium-high, add the cut up bread to cover the pan in one layer.
Leave to fry for about 40 seconds. Start checking and tossing or turning with tongs, so that all sides get equally crisped up. There should be browning, but not burning.
Remove when all are crisped and a light brown toasted colour. Remove to paper towel and then a bowl.
Remove the chicken from fridge and heat sauté pan until hot. Place as many fillets in the pan as will snugly fit and sear for 3/4 mins then turn for 3 mins until cooked through. Use a sharp knife into the thickest part to make sure cooked. Repeat until all dont and keep warm in a dish. Alice them through at an angle to get strips of chicken to top the salad.
ASSEMBLE
Take the greens from the fridge. Add 2/3 of the the croutons and 2/3 of the bacon. Add 2-3 tbsp of dressing per person=1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of the dressing. (this will be determined by how wet or sloppy you like your dressing!) Start off with the 1/2 cup and see what happens after tossing gently but thoroughly.
Place into a serving bowl. Top with the remaining croutons and bacon and chicken with a little extra dressing drizzled over.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave parmesan cheese over the top of the salad generously.
Recipe Notes
The recipe for this dressing makes about 1.5 cups. It will last a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Enjoy!
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