Ahh...Hotel Food. An over-sized dinner tray, over-sized glass of wine, the great 'reveal' when you lift the lid of the chafing-dish.Fantastic.
Dinner in your room is one of the things I that love when lone travelling.
Natch' I am only talking about four-star or above though! When it comes to sharing sink space with previous tenants, I do insist that they wern't paying by the hour.
Back in the day when I was defined by my white-collar career, hoping to eventually become CEO. (of something or other) I travelled quite a bit; Sent off to London, flown business class to the US for 'F2F' meetings with people I'd only previously endured over tele-con.
My life was a whirlwind of Amex, suits, PowerPoint presentations and hotel food.
No matter where in the world, I will nearly always go for the Caeser Salad.
I've had so many variations, every city has a slight twist; New Jersey Marriott gave me mounds of Smoked Bacon, NYC Millenium delivered Garlic Croutons the size of my head, and (my favourite) St Martins Lane, London served a whole Grildled Smoked Chicken Breast with delicate, fresh Anchovies.
My version of Caesar Salad is really simple to prepare, and sings with garlicky, creamy dressing, crunchy pink bacon and flavourful organic chicken.
Reduce the quantities, and serve for one with a good book and giant glass of Chardonnay. You won't mind being alone for moment!
Caeser Salad
Serves 2-3
Preparation Time - 10m
Cooking Time - 10m
Beverage Suggestion - Chardonnay
Ingredients
4x Chicken Thighs, Skinless & Boneless, Diced
1 tbsp Olive Oil, for frying
80g or 0.5 Cup Smoked Lardons
2x Heads Romaine Lettuce, Torn
100g or 1 Cup Parmesan, Grated
2x Slices Granary Bread
3x Cloves Garlic
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
6x Marinated Anchovy Fillets, roughly chopped
150ml or 1/3 Cup Soured Cream
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Directions
1. Chop 1x garlic clove and fry alongside the chicken (seasoned), and lardons in Oil for 7m, or until cooked through, and the bacon is crispy
2. Combine the soured cream, 1x clove garlic (chopped), 50g (0.5 Cup) of parmesan, anchovies, mustard, lemon and season to taste
3. Lightly toast the bread on both sides
4. Rub a whole clove of garlic all over the toasted bread
5. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese on top, and allow to bubble under the grill, Cut into 1 inch square peices
6. Place the torn lettuce in a large salad bowl
7. Add the cooked meat, croutons, and mix with the dressing
8. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the salad and lightly toss
9. Serve







