Semi-Traditional Caesar’s Salad
I made my first Caesar’s Salad when I was 16 and was drafted out of my job parking cars into the kitchen to cover for a salad guy with a drinking problem. It was just before the dinner rush and the head chef pulled me into the kitchen door and handed me an apron. He pointed to the salad area and said I will be right over to show you how to do it. Huh? I loved to cook but this was a whole new level. He came back with 3 orders. He was moving and talking so fast in the noises kitchen that I had to pay attention. The first thing he showed me was how to shuck a dozen oysters and a dozen clams and serve them on the half sheet in a shallow bowl of ice. The next thing was the Caesar’s Salad. He brought out this very large wooden bowl. He explained that this bowl was only to be used to make Caesar’s Salad. They usually make the sale at the table but not tonight. Anyway, this is what he did and I ended up doing. It was so good! The recipe is as I learned it with one exception. I use Avocado oil mayonnaise in stead of the tempered egg yolk and oil. After years of making it that way, I realized I was just making mayonnaise in the bowl so I just cut to the chase.
Ingredients:
4 heads of Romaine lettuce, separated into leaves and washed
1-2 cups of freshly made croutons
4 canned anchovies fillets, drained
3/4 cup avocado oil mayonnaise or olive oil mayonnaise
1 tsp garlic grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese about 1 cup
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt substitute (or omit)
1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- In a large wooden salad serving bowl, Add anchovies and smush them with a fork until completely smushed. Add mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, Parmesan, Worcestershire, salt and pepper Then whisk together until well blended. Thin dressing by whisking a Tbs gf water at a time into the mixture until you get the consistency you like.
- Allow the dressing to rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to merge.
- Rip the Romaine leaves into bite-sized pieces. Traditionalists do not chop. they prepare each bite. Add to bowl with 1/2 the croutons ad mixx until each leaf is coated with dressing.
- Serve with tongs into each bowl topping with Parmesan and more croutons. A course pepper grinder at the table would not be amiss.
Enjoy!