Greek-Caesar Salad About: I worked at an Italian restaurant the summer when I was 17 years old... Among other duties, I was in charge of preparing all breads (e.g., garlic bread w/cheese), and of course, all of the salads... At that time, I never had a Caesar salad myself, and I came to realize (much later) that the Caesar salads they had me making were really more of a Greek salad than a Caesar salad... FYI: The Caesar salad was invented in the 1920s by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in both Tijuana, Mexico & San Diego, California... It was first prepared table-side on the 4th of July as a toss salad using leftover ingredients: Chopped Romaine lettuce, croutons, and a dressing made from egg, olive oil, lemon juice, & Worcestershire sauce, and topped with black pepper. Since then, various restaurants add their own ingredients: e.g., bacon bits, grilled chicken breast, shrimp, other vegetables, etc. The way I was taught was to chop Romaine lettuce, add our house dressing (Italian) to the creamy Caesar dressing (to thin it out), add black olives, croutons, grated Parmesan cheese, and Feta cheese (Greek cheese made from goat's milk, crumbled). When I lived in New Jersey, I was fascinated with the franchise chain Saladworks® which has salad-bowl options like 'Tivoli' and 'Bentley' but I always had my salad made with ingredients similar to a Greek salad & Caesar salad combo... and Saladworks® also adds (cold) Radiatore pasta: Shaped like a radiator, the grooves capture the dressing just right and complement the salad meal... Thus, below is my own creation that is just great for warmer weather! Note: This recipe serves 2 (as an appetizer) or 1 (as a meal).

Ingredients: Lettuce: You can either use ½ head of Romaine lettuce (rinse & chop); Or ½ bag of (store-bought) chopped Romaine & iceberg lettuce; Or ½ container of Arugula: Pasta: I recommend only using Radiatore pasta... Cook it 'al dente' & refrigerate the day before preparing any salad! If your grocery stores do not carry this type of pasta, then you may omit this item. Feta cheese: You can buy this already crumbled, or as a block of cheese & then grab some off the block & crumble it yourself... Of course, you may buy flavored feta (e.g., basil & tomato added) but I buy plain feta cheese (reduced fat). Croutons: You may buy seasoned croutons, but I recommend the smaller kind... To make your own croutons, buy a baguette (French bread--long, soft roll) and slice a portion (or more) off and bake at 425°F until the bread is completely dry (but not burnt!) Then, cut into cubes (this takes practice) and place into a baking pan (e.g., for brownies) Drizzle a few tablespoons of Italian dressing over the chopped bread & mix well... and finally bake for 30-45 min. (at 425°F) and voila! Your own croutons! Parmesan cheese & Black pepper: I recommend using grated Parmesan & Romano blend cheese...fresh! (not old from the refrigerator) Also, I prefer to use black peppercorns ground from a pepper mill... Caesar Vinaigrette Dressing: You can buy this from Kraft® or you can make your own: First, you will need some creamy (as in thick) Caesar dressing... Then, add just a little Italian dressing (NOT creamy but Italian vinaigrette) To make your own 'house dressing' add equal parts of extra virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar, then add chopped basil, chopped parsley, chopped oregano, & rosemary and mix well! Olives: I prefer to use pitted Kalamata olives (from Greece, almost purple in color) which look like black olives but taste like Spanish (green) olives The only other option I recommend (if you do not like Kalamata olives or cannot find the pitted variety) is to use whole black olives from Early California®

Preparation: First, you will need a large bowl: Place ½ the container of Arugula in the bowl (or ½ half a head of rinsed & chopped Romaine lettuce, or half a bag of store-bought chopped Romaine & iceberg lettuce) Next, add 2-3 hand fulls of the (cold, cooked 'al dente') pasta: Then, add 1-2 hand fulls of (crumbled) Feta cheese: Now, add at least 2 hand fulls of croutons: Next step: Sprinkle enough grated Parmesan-Roman blend cheese to 'dust' the surface: Now add at least 2 tablespoons of the Caesar-Vinaigrette dressing... Using a tablespoon, mix all ingredients well... Then, using black peppercorns from a pepper mill, 'dust' the surface with black pepper: Finally, top with approx. 6-8 olives...Serve & enjoy!