Ceasar Dressing, a Tasty Grilled Chicken Salad, and using fresh raw eggs the safer way.

Before I start here there is something you should know, and this is very important. I know most people can eat raw and undercooked eggs and have absolutely no problem in doing so, but that is not always the case.

The risk of salmonella in the summer months is very high in uncooked egg products, and that is probably why eggnog is a traditional winter beverage. There is an alternative. Pasteurized Eggs. There are the egg beater types that are a liquid in the carton but this will not work as well. You will need to buy fresh pasteurized eggs in the shell for the best results.

No, these are not from pasture raised chickens, the eggs have been pasteurized like pasteurized milk to kill harmful bacteria. I am not that crunchy when it comes to food safety.

So, this is a easy, very quick and refreshing Caesar Salad to serve on hot summer evenings as a full meal.

First component: Caesar Dressing ( this recipe is an old recipe from the Nugget)

whip together
~4 eggs (pasteurized eggs please)
~3t. red wine vinegar

Add very slowly, mixing constantly
~1 cup olive oil

Add:
~1t. fresh minced garlic
~1t. cracked black pepper
~2t. dry mustard
~1/4c. parmesan cheese
~1/4t. salt
~2t. worcestershire sauce
~3t. fresh lemon juice

Grind and add:
~6 fillet anchovies

Chill for 2 hours minimum.

Then the chicken breast filets, boneless, skinless, thawed ... sad really but stick with me here.

Marinade how many breast filets you think you need, be it two, four or a dozen... depends on how hungry you are and how many you are feeding but one filet per person is usually enough. I like to put them in a large zip lock freezer bag then add in enough of the cheapest you can find italian dressing to marinade them in, and toss and turn the bag every 20 minutes or when you remember to so everything stays  nice and coated with the dressing. A half bottle should be plenty for the marinade. Keep this in the fridge while marinating on a deep tray or shallow bowl in case of any leaks. These can marinate overnight so feel free to start this on the night before. When it is just about time to eat just take them out, slap them on a hot bbq grill and cook through. it does not take long so keep an eye on them.

And finally the salad itself. Get a ginormous bowl, rinse, shake dry and slice Hearts of Romaine lettuce into bite sized morsels... or just get a bag of prepared hearts or romaine, I won't judge. Toss the salad with the dressing prepared in step one in your huge bowl.

Plating: place a generous portion of the dressed salad on the plate, slice one grilled chicken breast and lay it over the salad so it looks pretty, top with croutons and parmesan and romano cheese if desired. Toast some garlic bread and enjoy.

But who am I kidding right? most people have never tasted an honest to god authentic caesar salad in their lives, so a commercial prepared dressing will work just fine but why not give it a try?