Caesar Salad Pancetta Cups
Ingredients
- 36 slices pancetta (1/8-inch thick)
- 8 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste*
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 turns cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup crispy fried onions or croutons
Instructions
FOR PANCETTA CUPS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Invert a 12-cup muffin tin; place it on baking sheet. Drape a slice of pancetta over each cup. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until crispy. Remove pancetta from oven and allow to cool a couple of minutes before handling. Repeat process until all of the pancetta has been cooked. Set aside.
FOR CAESAR SALAD: Shred lettuce by first slicing a stack of leaves in half, lengthwise, then rolling the stack and slicing it thinly crosswise. Place lettuce in bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Set aside. Make dressing by combining olive oil, reserved tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and next 5 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.
ASSEMBLY: Toss lettuce and Parmesan mixture with desired amount of dressing (may have some leftover). Fill each pancetta cup with salad. Sprinkle with crispy fried onions or croutons. If using croutons, crumble into small pieces. Makes 36 cups.
*Anchovy Paste comes in a convenient tube packaged in a yellow box. It can usually be found on your grocery store shelves near the canned anchovies and tuna.