Caesar salad recipe

For whatever reason, yesterday was a hungry day for me.  All day long I was looking for something to munch on, so of course when it came time to blog, food was on my brain.  Therefore, you get to hear about food.

When I was in college I worked at a fancy-schmancy restaurant where I had to learn all about fine wines, gourmet foods, and proper serving etiquette.  I was expected to pick up on non-verbal cues like silverware placement to know when plates should be cleared – very formal.  I also learned how to make a table side Caesar salad, which turned out to be the best part of the job.  This salad is delicious and easy, and I still make it quite often.

The ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

1 tin flat anchovies

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

1/2 T. mustard (Dijon is preferable, but yellow will work in a pinch)

1 egg yolk

1 T. lemon juice, or the juice from 1/2 a fresh lemon, squeezed

dash Tabasco sauce

dash Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

croutons (optional)

1 head Romaine lettuce, torn or chopped into small pieces

To make the dressing table side, or if you’re a purist, follow the directions below.  This could also be mixed in your food processor – but I prefer to do it by hand.

Place whole garlic cloves in a hard bowl (not plastic) and crush with the back of a fork until they are in small bits.

Add the tin of anchovies, including the oil they are packed in, and smash them thoroughly as well.  Add in olive oil and vinegar and you should have a consistency like this:

Add remaining ingredients one at a time, combining as you go. The end result should be thick, not runny on a fork, and look something like this:

At this point I like to add in a little of the cheese to help with tossing the salad.  Add the chopped Romaine to the bowl and toss with forks until evenly coated.  Plate, add more cheese and croutons or chicken, if desired.

Yum!

I have made lots of substitutions in this over the years, and they all came out great (mustard, hot sauce, different types of lettuce, vinegar, etc)  However, the 2 things that make many people nervous are the 2 key ingredients – anchovies and egg yolk.  It is possible to make a good Caesar salad without them, but not easy…and it’s really not nearly as good.  And chances are, if you’ve ever eaten Caesar salad in a nice restaurant, you’ve already eaten it made this way anyway.  You honestly don’t taste anchovies when you try this, promise.

My family loves this recipe and I hope you will too!

Update – check out Foodista.com!

Caesar Salad