Caesar Salad Recipe

Who Made the Salad

Although the salad is called Caesar salad, it has nothing to do with the rulers of the ancient Roman Empire. Caesar Cardini at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, created this salad in 1924. The story is that his restaurant was so popular, there was sometimes a bit of a wait for the meals to be served. Caesar needed something to keep the patrons attention while the kitchen staff hustled to get the meals prepared, so he came up with a salad that had the dressing prepared tableside. You don’t have to prepare the dressing at your table, but once you get the hang of this fantastic dressing you might want to just to impress your guests.

Caesar Salad Recipe

This caesar salad recipe uses anchovies and a raw egg. You can get pasteurized eggs at your local market; they are usually clearly marked as such. As far as anchovies go, they have gotten a bad rap as being very fishy tasting. I assure you that you won’t taste them in the dressing at all.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of Romaine lettuce
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 3 anchovy filets
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 pasteurized egg
• 2 ounces of lemon juice
• 10 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces finely ground Parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces of seasoned croutons

Instructions

1. Cut the romaine lettuce in half lengthwise.
2. Cut off the heart from each half.
3. Place one half of the romaine lettuce head on your cutting board, cut side down, and slice it two more times lengthwise to create three equal sized cuts (more or less).
4. Cut the lettuce crosswise to create romaine squares about 1 inch square.
5. Do the same for the other half of the romaine head.
6. Soak the cut lettuce in a bowl of cold water for about ten minutes or so to wash off the dirt.
7. Place the cleaned lettuce in another bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in your refrigerator.
8. In another bowl, place the anchovies, garlic, salt, and pepper and mash them together with the back of a spoon or a fork until a smooth paste develops.
9. Add the egg and lemon juice and whisk until they are well blended.
10. Slowly add the oil into the egg mixture in a thin steady stream while whisking.
11. Once all the oil has been added, add the Parmesan cheese.
12. Taste for salt and pepper.
13. Toss the lettuce with the dressing and then garnish with the croutons.
14. For an entrée, you can fill a plate with the salad and then top with grilled chicken or duck breast.