We Are Not The Only Ones

Occasionally I feel a defense of certain American dishes is in order. By American, I am including that entire continent that Christopher Columbus mistakenly bumped into. Yes, I think pineapple and ham on pizza is not the wisest choice and we can certainly count on Olive Garden to satisfactorily butcher any number of Italian dishes. But I would like to point out that Italy has not gotten the memo on a proper guacamole or daiquiri (I am sorely tempted to anonymously leave a translated recipe of Diana Kennedy’s guacamole at Mexican restaurants here). There is a healthy Chinese community in Bologna and some of their regional cuisines are nicely represented. You would think that with as many North and South American expats renting or buying homes in Italy that we would see some better Italian interpretations of our respective cuisines. Nonetheless, my husband swears that the best hamburger he has ever eaten in his life was at Twinside, a restaurant in Bologna we both love, but they have not seen fit to offer it again.  He is in mourning. 

Salad Maybe, But Not Caesar

Enter the misbegotten  Italian version of Caesar salad – while it doesn’t sport a pineapple slice, it always has shredded boneless chicken breast. Romaine lettuce is rarely a player, and the dressing is always a creamy white sort of thing with nary a whiff of anchovy.  I am shocked at the lackluster attempts at croutons but they do include shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. Now I know we Americans have versions of Caesar salad with an added topping of salmon, chicken breast or even occasionally steak  – always at an additional price, but we do have really good examples of how a Caesar Salad should be showcased.   My current version has certain adjustments for the other person in the house. He prefers the Romaine to be torn into smaller pieces, the croutons to be small and not as hard as a rock. I am flexible, after all. 

The irony of the misbegotten Caesar Salad in Italy is that it was invented by an immigrant Italian restaurateur, Cesare Cardini. Born on the shores of Lake Como, Cesare emigrated to the US with two of his brothers and eventually worked in several restaurants in southern California. When the US was under its infamous Prohibition lockdown, Cesare, like many other restaurateurs, moved his operation to Mexico to avoid its restrictions.  His restaurant became very popular with Hollywood celebrities and airline personnel. On a July 4th weekend in 1924, the restaurant that Cesare ran with his brother was filled beyond capacity and  food supplies ran low.The original Caesar Salad was born out of ingredients on hand, ingenuity and showmanship. 

Cesare (now Caesar) Cardini took a cart with large salad bowl and in front of his diners, mixed a dressing with neither anchovies or  soft boiled egg but rather Worcestershire sauce (which contains anchovy extract) and lime juice emulsified with olive oil, an egg yolk, black pepper, parmesan shavings and a toasted baguette slice.  The romaine included the whole inner leaves from this particular lettuce. And interestingly, Romaine is a Mediterranean lettuce, grown in Italy since the Roman Empire. In the US, it was largely overshadowed by the questionable Iceberg lettuce, which —like Twinkies — never spoiled.  But ithe incredible popularity of Caesar salad (to the point where it became a fast food staple) increased the acreage in California dedicated to Romaine’s cultivation from less than a few thousand acres to more than 80,000 today. 

I feel that Cesare Cardini’s salad should return home. I am in the mother country of Romaine lettuce, lemons, anchovies, olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano. Perhaps I should offer a tutorial in Bologna with  my current version, which I think is pretty true to the unique flavor and texture of this iconic salad. I could include it in a class that teaches Italians how to make a BLT or a Chili Dog, or even Chocolate Chip Cookies. None of these are closely guarded secrets. This recipe is loosely based on one developed by Chris Morocco and Sue Li from the Epicurious files. They did some interesting research and came up with some variations that would probably help out the restaurant chefs here.  I may even drop an anonymous Caesar Salad recipe card in Google Translate Italian at the next restaurant where I see it as a menu option. Along with the recipe for guacamole. 

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