It’s another recipe I learned as a youngster dining out with my grandparents. My Grandpa loved to order this. Of course half the fun of doing so was the waiter wheeled his little cart up to your table and performed a fancy show of making the salad.
Caesar Salad
1 large head, Romaine Lettuce.
Wash and pat dry the lettuce and separate the individual leaves. Cut the larger outside leaves in half length-wise.
Set aside.
For the croutons:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
4 cups day old Baguette or Ciabatta Bread.
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Slice the bread into large chunks. Drizzle with the olive oil and salt and pepper.
Bake it the oven until golden brown and crispy. About 10-15 minutes.
Cool and set aside until time to make your salad.
For the dressing:
1 large whole clove Garlic (peeled)
3 Anchovies
Pepper (to taste)
1 Egg Yolk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.
1/2 cup Olive Oil.
3/4 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.
Traditionally this is made in a large wooden bowl. You don’t have to but, I do because I love to pretend I’m a fancy waiter.
Cut the garlic in half and rub it all around the bottom of the bowl. With the back of a large spoon crush the anchovies and the rest of the garlic into a paste. Add the egg yolk and whisk until light and creamy. Add the lemon juice and then very slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking briskly. You might not need all of the olive oil. Add pepper to taste.
The dressing should be well emulsified and stable. If not, throw in a teaspoon of mustard and whisk like crazy.
To Assemble the Salad:
You can choose to the leave the romaine lettuce whole or tear in up into bite sized chunks.
Add the lettuce and croutons to the bowl, toss gently with the dressing. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss gently again.
Serve immediately.
Not only is this salad brilliant along side roasted chicken but, it classes up delivery pizza!
Bonus! Fancy waiter photo from NYC trip!
Kathleen Rear 