Mexican Caesar Salad

This salad recipe serves approx. 4 (with plenty of dressing leftover)

Cilantro Pepita Dressing:

2 medium Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded

1/3 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

12 ounces salad oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

5 tablespoons grated Cotija cheese (see note)

2 small bunches cilantro, stemmed

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup water

Salad:

2 corn tortillas

Vegetable oil

1 large head romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun dry

1/3 cup finely grated Cotija cheese

Roasted red bell pepper, peeled and cut into julienne strips

1/2 cup pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)

Directions:
Place all dressing ingredients except cilantro, mayonnaise and water in a blender or food processor. Blend approximately 10 seconds, and then add cilantro little by little until blended smooth. Place mayonnaise and water in a large stainless steel bowl, and mix with a wire whip until smooth. Add the blended ingredients to the mayonnaise mixture, and mix thoroughly. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate. Will keep for three days. Yields 1 quart.

To assemble salad: Cut corn tortillas into matchstick-size strips. Heat oil in sauté pan; fry tortilla strips until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Tear romaine into bite-size pieces. Place greens on salad plates and ladle approximately 2 ounces of cilantro pepita dressing on each salad. Sprinkle each dish with Cotija cheese and tortilla strips. Arrange four red pepper strips like spokes on the top of each salad, and garnish with whole pepitas.

Note: Cotija cheese is a hard cheese, similar to Parmesan. It is available at some grocery stores and most Mexican markets.

As you can see in the picture above, we made tacos with the same ingredients above and added taco meat. They were delicious and I would highly recommend making them as well. This recipe comes from the restaurant El Torito's.