Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad was the invention of restaurateur manager, Bob Cobb, who in 1926 at The Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, California, found a way to use up leftovers. Cobb had been improvising with the salad for years. For more history of the Cobb Salad, check out the History of Salads and Salad Dressings.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.


Recipe Type: Salad and Salad Dressing

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Prep time: 30 min


Ingredients:



3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

8 bacon slices

1 head romaine lettuce, leaves separated and torn into bite-size pieces

Fresh herbs (of your choice)

2 cups chopped watercress lettuce (tough stems removed)

4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

2 avocados, pitted, peeled and diced

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 pound plus 1 ounce Roquefort cheese or blue cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Several long chive lengths for garnish





Preparation:



Cut the hard-cooked eggs into 1/2-inch dice. Set aside.



In a large frying pan over medium heat, fry the bacon about 10 minutes or until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. When cool, crumble and set aside.



Make a bed of romaine lettuce on a platter, shallow bowl, or individual serving plates. Arrange the eggs, bacon, herbs, watercress, turkey or chicken, avocados, tomatoes, and the 1/4 pound Roquefort or blue cheese in a neat pattern atop the lettuce, in rows or in a checkerboard pattern (see photo above), covering the lettuce almost completely.



In a small bowl, whisk together the wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using a fork, mash in the remaining 1 ounce Roquefort cheese to make a paste. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a thick dressing.



Pour a little of the dressing over the salad and garnish with chive lengths. Serve immediately. Pass the remaining dressing at the table.



Makes 4 to 6 servings.