I started this blog in 2011. Hard to believe I've been at this on and off for 15 years. I stand behind the recipes 100%. Not so much by all of the pictures though. Looking at some of my older posts, the pictures were so bad. The lighting in our kitchen was so bad until we remodeled a few years ago. The technology of the camera in cell phones has certainly improved. In no way do I pretend to know what I'm doing, I just love to create, cook and share. A while back Mr. Devilish Dish bought himself this fancy new cutting board. It's enormous and he insists on leaving it out on the kitchen counter. Really because there is no way to store the thing, but he justified it by saying, "It will make a nice background for our food pictures." And he's right. So then he had another idea, and suggested, "Why don't you make some of your favorite recipes that have already been blogged and update the pictures?" We made a list of some of our favorites that I have been wanting to re-share but have been too embarrassed by the poor photo quality. His first suggestion was baked beans, followed by, "That way I can smoke something ribs this weekend and you can make baked beans." Which is pretty much how he wants all of our weekends to go, but I get tired of baked beans and potato salad so I am constantly trying to come up with new and interesting side dishes to accompany his selection of smoked meat. This Cucumber Caesar Salad is amazing. It's all the regular ingredients of a good Caesar salad, minus the Romaine Lettuce. Crisp cucumbers are substituted for lettuce, making this an ideal side salad for a plate of hot and spicy barbecue. It really did hit the spot next to the ribs and baked beans, because I got that last batch of baked beans a little spicy. If you're looking for a fun alternative to a traditional Caesar Salad, or an ordinary cucumber salad, then this is it!
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| A refreshing twist on a traditional Caesar Salad. |
CUCUMBER CAESAR SALAD
For the Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoon good quality Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
For the Salad:
1-2 large English cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 package Caesar-style croutons
(Optional: you could easily make this salad a meal by adding grilled chicken or shrimp)
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Process to create a smooth dressing. Refrigerate if not using immediately. When ready to serve, toss the dressing with the cucumbers, Parmesan cheese and croutons.
Enjoy,
