This Mixed-leaf Caesar Salad from Delia Online looked like a quick and easy recipe and Delia Smith recipes are usually straight forward and relatively simple.  I made the recipe as a main dish, but with hindsight it would work better as a side dish.

rating 7/10

Ingredients

Cos lettuce, Mixed leaves, Rocket leaves, Anchovy fillets in olive oil, Parmesan, Sourdough bread, Olive oil, Parmesan, Garlic, Egg, Lime juice, Mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce. 6/10

Level of difficulty

The dressing can be tricky if you haven’t made a mayonnaise before.  It’s important to make sure that the ingredients are measured correctly, if you want a creamy dressing. 7/10

Time taken to prepare

The croutons and dressing take a little while to prepare.  For a relatively simple recipe, that would make a great side dish, it does take a little longer that you would expect. 7/10

The food

I was really looking forward to the garlic, parmesan croutons, which smelled delicious while they were cooking.  The end result was a bit too subtle and a little more parmesan would have enhanced the flavour.  Having a mix of lettuces added a good dimension to the salad. The lime juice added a tangy flavour to the dressing and mixing the parmesan through with the dressing gave a lovely cheesy taste. I enjoyed the anchovies in the salad, but if you are squeamish about them you might find them overpowering. 8/10

Overall

Although not containing any particularly unusual ingredients, the combination of flavours created a pleasant salad.  I wouldn’t make this salad as a main dish, but it would definitely add a great dimension as a side dish. 7/10