- Yield: 12
American Lamb Caesar Salad
Recipe courtesy of Edward Leonard, CMC, Director of Culinary Operations, The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.).
Image courtesy of the American Lamb Board.
Ingredients
- American Lamb blade chops - 6 lbs.
- extra virgin olive oil - 6 Tbsps.
- fresh lemon juice - 3 Tbsps.
- kosher salt - to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes - to taste
- fresh rosemary - 18 stalks
- Caesar Dressing
- garlic - 2, minced
- white anchovy filets - 9
- salt - pinch
- pepper - pinch
- pasteurized egg yolks - 6 Tbsps.
- fresh lemon juice - 6 Tbsps.
- water - 6 Tbsps.
- mint - 1 Tbsp.
- Greek yogurt - 3/4 cup
- extra virgin olive oil - 1 1/2 cups
- Pitas
- pita bread - 12
- kosher salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- heart of romaine - 3
- Parmigiano-Reggiano - 3/4 cup, finely grated
- Salad Mix
- tomatoes - 6 Tbsps., diced
- kalamata olives - 6 Tbsps., diced
- feta cheese - 6 Tbsps., crumbled
- extra virgin olive oil - 6 Tbsps.
- white anchovies - 46
Instructions
- For the Lamb: Trim lamb of any extra fat and remove bones. Pound lamb chops between 2 pieces of paper until thin; cut into 12 cutlets. Season with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper flakes. Place one-half of the rosemary on a baking dish; place lamb cutlets on the rosemary. Place remaining rosemary on top; marinate for 20 minutes. Grill lamb cutlets over high heat for 2 minutes on each side; reserve.
- For Caesar Dressing: In a small food processor, add garlic, anchovy filets and a pinch of salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Add the pasteurized yolks, lemon juice, water, mint and yogurt; process for 30 seconds. While the processor is running, slowly add the oil to form an emulsion. Remove the mixture from the processor and place in a small bowl. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Reserve for service.
- For the Pitas: Season each side with kosher salt and pepper and drizzle with melted clarified butter. Place bread onto a wire rack then onto a baking sheet. Toast at 350ºF until golden brown. Reserve for service.
- For Romaine: Place dressing in a squirt bottle. Holding the heart of romaine lettuce upright, dress the inside and outside of the lettuce. Wrap the dressed romaine heart in plastic wrap tightly to form a cylinder. Refrigerate 1/2 hour to hold its shape.
- For Parmigiano Cookies: Place silicone mat onto a baking sheet. Using a 4-inch round mold to keep a circular shape, sprinkle cheese onto mat, repeating 12 times. Bake at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese has slightly browned. Allow to cool; remove from mat.
- For Salad Mix: Mix tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and olive oil well.
- To Assemble: Place a pita in the center of each plate. Top with grilled lamb cutlet. Cut each head of romaine into 4 equal slices about 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick. Place a romaine round on top of each lamb slice. Top each romaine with the salad mix. Top with Parmigiano cookie. Roll each anchovy and place 3 on each plate. Drizzle with remaining Caesar dressing and extra virgin olive oil.