Cobb Salad may be an odd thing to be blogging, because it’s not really a “recipe”, but more of a preparation that you can change to suit your own taste.  For instance, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t make some people like bleu cheese (even when you try to fool them with Gorgonzola).  It can be a really beautiful presentation, lined up on a pretty platter as shown above, or you can toss it all, dress it, and serve.  I like to toss it, but not dress it, because I like to serve 2 or 3 homemade dressings.  Good old 1,000 Island is a nice choice.  Or Ranch, or bleu cheese.  The original was a French….and that’s where this story starts!

Because I am a seasoned Professional (lol), I did research on Cobb Salad the scientific way:  I Googled it!  According to  the internet, this salad originated at The Hollywood Brown Derby in about 1937 when the owner, Robert Howard Cobb, hadn’t eaten till midnight one night, and his chef, Paul J. Posti, went into the kitchen and collected all the leftovers from the night, making this salad.  Another version of the story is that Mr. Cobb’s executive chef, Robert Kreis, created the salad in 1929 and named it for his boss.  All I know is, nobody has ever named a salad Cheyrl. But I’m not bitter!

There seems to be no question, though about the authentic original ingredients:  Mixed lettuces of 4 types:  Iceberg, watercress, endive and Romaine.  The other tried and true ingredients were tomatoes, crisp chopped bacon, boiled, grilled or roasted (never fried) chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, avocado, chives, Roquefort cheese and a red-wine vinaigrette .  In my version, as some of the research revealed, I used chopped ham in place of the chicken.  You could do some of both. And, you can make a simple 1,000 Island with just mayo, a little catsup, a chopped boiled egg, and a little pickle relish.

NOTE:  This nice salad came to our attention as I began searching for good things to eat  when we decided to go on the Low Carb style eating.  One of our favorite home town hang outs is the Lodge in Tempe where we can take our dog.  I ordered their Cobb Salad (they don’t add avocado), and they served it in a Mason Jar, about 3/4 full, with the lid on, and shake it with the dressing.  Such a cute way to serve it, and SO yummy!  Ask me how I know…