There’s a sense of autumn in season and in life, with the people we love becoming more vulnerable and sight and hearing becoming soft around the edges. It can really squeeze the heart being part of this inevitable process, but at the same time it brings a certain levity. When at Friday family supper, a mention of ‘chump chops’ is greeted with alarm because it’s heard as ‘Trump chops’ and a semi-dried tomato draped over a salad is seen in the half-light as an anchovy, it reinforces Brandon’s rule for comedy: go with it and see where it leads. Who knows, a semi-dried tomato standing in for an anchovy may be a fine idea.
The tomatoes were the result of a wooden plate of over ripe standard-issue tomatoes that needed to find a purpose and turning them into a pantry item seemed like a useful interim measure. But an oven closer to 100°C than 80°C and petals cut skinnier than usual, turned it from a from slow roast to a semi-dried tomato. The tomatoes’ mistaken identity and previous thoughts of tomato aioli, culminated in a Caesar-esque salad with the ‘tomato anchovies’, homemade mayonnaise seasoned with the tomato juices, whisper-soft microplaned Parmesan and garlic baked onto the croutons.
The Caesar salad was born of a resourceful restaurateur finding resolution in the face of challenges. First there was the matter of US Prohibition, which Caesar Cardini solved by hopping over the Mexican border to open a hotspot of Italian cooking and free-flowing drinks. Then there was what to serve inebriated patrons with limited supplies. He combined what he had: lettuce, croutons, Parmesan, eggs, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper. What he didn’t have were anchovies. The Hollywood glitterati took to the salad, which eventually took his name1.
So, if the egg, olive oil, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce are covered by mayonnaise, then it’s just a matter of adding Cos lettuce, croutons, and the no-anchovy anchovies as a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of both camps: those who like anchovies in their Caesar and the original, which had none. Tossing the croutons in crushed garlic before toasting, as per Apollonia Poilâne’s technique2, softens the flavour. Although the long, slender leaves also enable eating it by hand3, so this might be made easier with browned breadcrumbs clinging to the Cos instead.