Caesar salad is one of America’s most popular specialty salads with a history that has only a distant connection with Italy. If you are curious, the stories are fun to read.

Both “original” recipes called for Romaine lettuce, probably because its sturdy stem makes it seem crisper than it actually might be. Romaine still is the most commonly used lettuce, but I doubt that its popularity is based upon flavor.

Like many other once strictly followed American recipes, those for Caesar Salad have been modified at whim with added grilled chicken, crab, shrimp, lobster, pineapple or anything else cooks decided to throw in. That’s because Caesar Salad’s popularity is not about Romaine lettuce.  A good Caesar Salad is all about topping fresh lettuce with a garlic and egg-based silky, piquant dressing, crisp croutons and grated Parmesan cheese it. Modify those and you have changed the taste experience.

Although the dressing contains a lot of ingredients, it’s really easy to make. Plus, with one exception, either fresh anchovy or anchovy paste, the ingredients are everyday staples of well-stocked pantries and/or easily accessible from most supermarkets. Honestly, once you try making Caesar dressing at home, you will walk past the ones in grocery stores and laugh.

Hints

1. Some Caesar dressing recipes call for Dijon mustard and/or red wine vinegar. I prefer the clear flavor combination of lemon, olive oil, garlic and anchovy.
2. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, garlic paste from a tube can be substituted with very little taste difference. Garlic preserved in vinegar and water is different and is not a good substitute.
3. Anchovy flavor is a fundamental part of Caesar dressing. Even if you don’t like to eat anchovy by itself, don’t omit anchovy altogether. Instead, use half the amount in the form of anchovy paste.


Rolled anchovies in oil from a can and anchovy paste

4. Hot homemade croutons cook in less than 10 minutes and take this salad over the top. Croutons from the store are a completely different food. If timing goes sideways as you put the salad together, these croutons cooked will hold in a preheated 190 oven for 5-10 minutes.
5. The quality of the Parmesan cheese directly affects the overall quality of the finished salad.
6. This Caesar dressing will last for two weeks if it is covered tightly and refrigerated.
7. For a delicious, lighter version of this Caesar dressing, omit the egg.

Ingredients

For Dressing:
2 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced (or 1, 1/2 tsp. garlic paste)
Juice from 1 large, fresh lemon, 1/4 cup
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 anchovy filet in oil, drained and finely chopped or 1 tsp. anchovy paste
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup mild extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste (at least ¼ tsp.)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste (at least ¼ tsp.)

For Salad:
2 large, 3 smaller or 5 miniature heads of Romaine lettuce
2 anchovy filets per serving (optional)
1 handful croutons per serving

For Croutons:

1 slice per person of high quality French baguette or artisan Italian bread
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste

For Cheese:

1 cup shaved or coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (finely chopped for miniature leaf version)

Procedures

For Dressing: This recipe makes more than 6 servings

1. Put garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce, anchovy or anchovy paste and egg yolks into a processor or blender and process or blend until mixture is completely blended and smooth.
2. With the machine going,  add olive oil gradually in a small stream until mixture thickens just enough to still be pourable, about 1 minute. Stop adding oil when the dressing thickens. Don’t worry if it gets too thick to pour; it can be thinned later with water and a whisk.
3. Transfer the dressing to a large measuring cup or small mixing bowl and taste. Add salt and then pepper. If the dressing is too thick to pour, whisk water into it a teaspoon at a time until it is the consistency you want. Set aside until ready to toss onto salad (refrigerate if it is more than 30 minutes).

For Salad:

1. Pull leaves off lettuce heads. Wash and spin-dry all leaves. Tear dried leaves into bite size pieces and put them in a large mixing bowl. If you use miniature heads, wrap leaves in paper towel and refrigerate until ready to use. Then arrange whole leaves around the rim of chilled salad plates.
2. Set prepared lettuce aside until you are ready to serve the salad (refrigerate if it is more than 15 minutes).

For Croutons:

1. When you are about to compose the salad, heat oil in a skillet until it is hot but not smoking.
2. Add croutons and using tongs, gently toss them until all are covered with oil. Cook croutons, moving them often until they are toasted and crisp on all surfaces. Remove the pan from heat and set aside as you put the salad together.

Composing the Salad

Pour about half of the dressing over the prepared lettuce and toss with tongs until the dressing is evenly distributed. Taste a piece, and if it needs more dressing, add it and re toss the lettuce. Divide the dressed lettuce among chilled salad plates. Place 1 or 2 anchovy filets on the top of each salad. Sprinkle prepared cheese over each salad and croutons over the cheese. Serve immediately.

For miniature Romaine, chop anchovies into small pieces. Drizzle about 1 tbs. of dressing over each leaf, sprinkle a few pieces of chopped anchovy over dressing, divide cheese among the leaves and sprinkle croutons among the plates. Serve salads immediately.