Food blogger Paola Bacchia of Italy On My Mind grew up with Italian parents in Melbourne, Australia, and learned early on to connect with her family’s heritage through food. Her new cookbook, At Nonna’s Table: One Italian Family’s Recipes, Shared with Love, is a volume of the recipes that she grew up with and continues to hold close to her heart – like this ‘Julius Caesar’ salad. “In the 1990s my parents discovered an Italian restaurant on the Mornington Peninsula called Giulio Cesare (as in Julius Caesar, the legendary Roman Emperor). We would go there for birthdays and other celebrations,” explains Bacchia. “The restaurant’s specialities were seafood, a terrific garlic focaccia and the eponymous salad, which they called Insalata Giulio Cesare – rather than Caesar salad, which was named after an Italian–American chef. My parents loved it so much they were determined to recreate it at home. Papà even purchased Tabasco, which had never before been seen in the house, to make the recipe the way they did at the restaurant. This is such a delicious old-school salad, it needs to make a comeback!”
Caesar Salad With Homemade Croutons
Ingredients
Salad
- 3 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2-3 slices white bread
- 1¾ oz (50 g) thin pancetta slices cut into strips
- 1 romaine lettuce leaves separated
- 1 oz (30 g) Parmesan shaved
Dressing
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar plus a little extra if needed
- ½ cup mild olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 4 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- a few drops Tabasco
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) fan-forced. Place two of the garlic cloves on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.
- Turn the oven down to 210°F (100°C). Cut the third garlic clove in half and rub the cut sides over the bread slices. Cut the bread into cubes, place on the baking tray and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread croutons start to dry out and take on a bit of colour. Set aside.
- Place the pancetta on a sheet of foil under an oven grill (broiler) preheated to medium–high, and grill until the pancetta starts releasing its fat and turns a deep pink. Keep an eye on it, so the edges don’t burn – it should take no more than 5 minutes if the slices are thin. The pancetta will be a bit soft when hot, but will crisp up as it cools. Set aside.
- Wash and spin-dry the lettuce leaves, discarding any damaged ones. Chop or tear the leaves into large pieces and place in a mixing bowl.
Dressing
- Place the egg yolks and vinegar in a tall narrow container. Using an immersion blender or electric whisk, beat at low speed, then increase the speed to high and drizzle in the olive oil in a thin steady stream. The dressing should thicken as you add more oil. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the mayonnaise, add the anchovy fillets and give it a light whisk until well incorporated. The dressing should be quite thick. Add salt, if needed, then thin the dressing with a little extra vinegar so that the dressing is pourable and tastes balanced. Add Tabasco, to taste.
- Pour half the dressing over the lettuce. Toss until the leaves are well coated. Transfer to a serving bowl, then scatter with the croutons, parmesan and crispy pancetta. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and serve immediately.
