Spring Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 cos lettuce, washed and leaves separated
- A bunch of asparagus, steamed
- 4 eggs - medium-boiled and peeled
- 8 rashers of free-range streaky bacon, fried and roughly chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 8 or more anchovies - optional
- Grated parmesan to serve
Garlic wholegrain croutons
- 6 slices "toast slice" wholegrain bread
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- A small knob of butter, about 15g – optional
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the salad ingredients: wash the lettuce, steam the asparagus until just tender, boil the eggs, fry the bacon until crispy and roughly chop, and slice the avocado.
- The salad components can be arranged on the table in separate bowls so each person can construct their own salad, or combined in a large salad bowl and draped with anchovies (if enjoyed) with the dressing (see recipe below), croutons and grated parmesan on the side.
- To make the croutons, cut the bread into 1cm cubes. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a moderate heat. Tip: I use the bacon frying pan to utilise the bacon fat (omit the butter, if you do this).
- Add the olive oil, and butter if using and, once melted, add the garlic and bread cubes. Turn up the heat and cook quickly, tossing the bread until golden and crispy. Tip into a serving bowl to cool a little.