Chargrilled Caesar salad

I’m loath to mess with an undisputed classic of the genre, which, frankly, has suffered enough (there’s a tofu kale Caesar online. Seriously), but I’d like to propose this as an adaptation: lettuce is vastly enhanced by a little charring, a process that delivers yet another dollop of umami on top of the anchovy rich dressing. Add the fried bread and the bacon and it’s basically a salad for a very sophisticated hangover – hell, there’s even an egg yolk in there for good measure.

Crush the garlic and add to the oil. Leave to infuse for about an hour. Bash out the chicken until it’s nice and thin. Heat a griddle pan on a high flame and cook the bacon until crisp and well charred.

Tear the bread into bite-sized chunks and dunk in the oil, then griddle until crisp.

Cut the lettuces in half through the core, and brush with oil. Griddle until charred, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Set aside.

Brush the chicken with garlic oil and griddle on both sides until chargrilled and cooked through.

Mash the anchovies to a paste in a jug, then beat in the yolk, and gradually the rest of the garlic-infused oil until you have a thickish dressing. Stir in the lemon juice and taste – season if necessary.

Snip the bacon into small shards and cut the chicken into slices. Arrange the lettuce halves on a platter and scatter over the croutons, chicken and bacon. Drizzle with dressing to serve.