Homemade Caesar Salad

I’ll admit it, I am on a salad kick lately, in particular due to the kiler flavors of the grilled romaine salad. Normally my default lettuce purchase at the store is a head of romaine. The cost is just right, and it is pretty diverse in the things you can do with it.

After putting some initial thought into my last head of romaine  lettuce in the refrigerator, I had a quick memory of a cook at a restaraunt making a caesar salad. Trust me, when I see something like this I pay attention to it. I just love the open kitchen where I can see things being made. Well, my eyes immediately drew attention to the guy making the salad. I became that guy the other day.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of Romaine lettuce
• 1 large baguette, cut into large cubes
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 tin of anchovies fillets, with olive oil
• 1 egg, boiled for 1 minute
• Course salt to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Begin by cleaning your lettuce. I like to remove a bit of the tops from the green part of the romaine as with most heads, this is where you will most likely find discoloration, or marks in the leaves. Separate the leaves, and thoroughly wash. If you have a salad spinner, use it. The goal is to dry the lettuce, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Get some water boiling. Add the whole egg into the boiling water, and cook for about a minute, then remove from pan.

Now it is time to get your garlic croutons made. To a large skillet, add about a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Bring to temp on medium heat. Add one clove of the diced garlic, throw in the bread cubes, and immediately give it a good toss as you do not want to burn the garlic. Continue cooking and turning until you have golden brown croutons. Lay on some paper towel and let the the croutons drain any excess oil.

In a large bowl, add in the anchovies, and remaining garlic. With a fork, mash this into a paste.  Crack the egg into the mash, and whisk. Add in the lemon juice, and continue to whisk. Now is the time to get both hands moving.  Slowly add in the remaining olive oil, while at the same time whisking the mixture. The goal here is to make a nice dressing. Toss in some salt and pepper and a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Go ahead  and taste at this time.

Now is the time to get the romaine back out of the refrigerator. Tear into bite-sized pieces, adding them to the bowl with the dressing.  Continue tearing until you are done with all of the leaves. Top with the croutons, and add almost all of the parmigiano-reggiano. Toss the salad, incorporating all of the ingredients. Add to a serving bowl, and top with the remaining cheese.

Enjoy.