Roasted Black Pepper Caesar Salad with Pancetta

This Caesar salad with freshly roasted and cracked black pepper, pancetta, and homemade croutons starts a meal off right.  It can also be a delicious meal on its own!

Happy New Year!! I hope you had a good start to 2016! Did you start it off with a bang? Or are you like us and ushered in the new year more low-keyed?

My husband and I celebrated it at home with a couple of good friends, good food, refreshing libations, and movies. We stayed warm, dry, and well-fed, and fun was had by all. 

Our female friend, who shall remain nameless, clearly had a little too much to drink. The dead giveaway was when she spent the latter part of the night calling me by the wrong name. I am sure she has no recollection of doing so. That’s okay, my friend, who I shall not be named; I still love you! 

I am starting the blog off this year with a Caesar salad. My version contains plenty of freshly roasted and cracked peppercorns. Nothing perfumes and envelops your mouth with a punch of flavor like it. The burst of warmth and pepperiness pairs so well with romaine and the Caesar salad dressing. I use a mortar and pestle to crush the peppercorns. Don’t have one of these handy dandy kitchen tools? No worries, a flat-bottom mug or a rolling pin will do the job just fine. Try to keep some pieces coarse, as they are the ones that will provide the best punch of flavor.

The pancetta adds a crispy chew and a pop of color to the salad. If you feel lazy like me when I made this salad, pancetta can be packaged and pre-diced, making it an easy, tasty addition. And it takes literally minutes to cook. Of course, if you don’t have or want pancetta, bacon is always a good substitute (as it always is in my book!).  

I will be the first to say that this is not a light salad. But after the gluttony of a high carb, high sugar, high fat, high cholesterol, low nutritional value diet of the past couple of months, anything with raw, fresh greens is a step toward getting back to healthier eating for me. (I am dipping my toes into the pool instead of jumping right in!) If you wish to make the dressing a little lighter, swap half of the mayo with plain yogurt. By replacing only half of the mayo, the flavor of the dressing will not be noticeably compromised.

May the new year find you and your loved ones happy, wealthy, and well!!

Recommended supplies:

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• Mortar and pestle to crack peppercorn to release oil and aroma.
• Small wire whisk to whip dressing.
• A small skillet is used to toast the peppercorn and cook the pancetta.

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