Author Notes
For this salad I wanted to stay (mostly) true to a classic Caesar, but with a litte Texas Twisting ... slightly sweet, a little heat, some local produce ... - aargersi —aargersi
Test Kitchen Notes
This Texas-twisted Caesar was refreshing and delicious. I had my doubts as I added very disparate ingredients to my blender -- egg yolks, grapefruit, orange, anchovies, parmesan, and jalapeno? But the blended dressing ends up slightly creamy and very bright, with an addictive spicy kick. I loved aargersi's trick to mellow the onions with a cool bath and the toasted pecans added a different texture and crunch to the mix. Overall, a creative and robust version of a classic that will surprise and delight. - monkeymom —The Editors
Ingredients
-
1/2
red onion
-
2
large cloves garlic
-
1
large lemon
-
1
navel orange
-
1
small grapefruit (I used a Texas Ruby Red)
-
2
egg yolks
-
4
anchovies
-
1/4 cup
shredded parmesan
-
1/4 cup
fresh parsley
-
1/2 cup
extra virgin olive oil
-
1
jalapeño - seeded and chopped
-
fresh ground pepper
-
1/2
head of romaine
-
1 cup
pecans (Texas ones if you can get them!)
Directions
-
Slice the red onion into half rings, put them in a tupperware and cover them with water, and stick them in the fridge. This will take some of the bite out and leave them sweet and crunchy. After maybe 20 minutes, change the water and put them back in the fridge.
-
Coarsley chop the garlic. Put it in a blender or processor. Add the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, orange zest (save the orange for supremes), zest from half the grapefruit and the grapefruit juice. Also add the parmesan, anchovies, jalapeño and parsley.
-
Get the blender going and while it's running, drizzle in the oilve oil. let it go for a few minutes to make sure everything is well blended. Pour the dressing into a container and stick it in the fridge - it's going to be more than you need for this salad unless you are making a really big one.
-
Toast the pecans in a skillet and set them aside to cool.
-
Chop and rinse the romaine. Cut supremes from the orange. Get the onions out and drain them. Pat as many dry as you want for the salad (depending on yours' and your guests' raw onion love - me, I like a lot!)
-
Now construct your salad - put the romaine, oranges and onion in a large bowl, and toss with a generous amount of dressing. Remove it to your serving bowl and serve with the toasted pecans alongside (who need croutons when you have toasted nuts?) That's it!
Country living, garden to table cooking, recent beek, rescue all of the dogs, #adoptdontshop
See what other Food52ers are saying.