Thanks so much for joining me for What’s On the Menu Wednesday this week. I really appreciate your hanging in there with me for the past several weeks. It’s been so busy ending the school year and here at home as well. I’m through with inservice workshops until next week, so I’m looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation.
One of our all-time favorite salads is an original Caesar Salad. It’s unlike so many that are called “Caesar Salad” in today’s restaurants.It’s origination is somewhat disputed, but I’ll leave it to you to do a little investigation on your own. One of the best resources is here at Food History. It really doesn’t matter to me who invented it; I just will keep on making it and enjoying it.
I first learned to make a Caesar Salad from my 1968 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I made it that way for several years before trying the addition of anchovies. Thus began a new love affair. (Just don’t tell the purists.)
Notes
Use only good-quality Spanish or Portuguese anchovies in your dressing. Anchovy paste may be substituted (approximately two inches squeezed from the tube will provide the equivalent taste of one anchovy fillet). More anchovy fillets may be added according to your personal taste.
Garlic Olive Oil: Prepare one to several days early. (I keep this made up regularly.) Slice 6 cloves garlic lengthwise in quarters; let stand in 1 cup olive oil. I put mine in a glass canning jar or plastic squeeze bottle and store it in the frig.
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup homemade croutons (see directions below)
- Garlic olive oil (see directions below)
- 1 coddled egg (see directions below)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons finely-chopped garlic (1 to 2 medium cloves with inner green germ removed)
- 1 - 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (1/2 lemon) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 3 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) shaved Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, hearts and tender leaves only
- Coarsely-ground black pepper
Instructions
Homemade Croutons
- Preheat oven to 375 400-F.
- Trim the crust (or not) from day-old peasant-style bread (Italian or French bread) and dice into 3/4-inch cubes.
- Toss with enough garlic olive oil to coat, but not drench. Sprinkle lightly with salt and spread out on a baking sheet.
- Bake approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until just golden brown. Halfway through the baking time, give the pan a shake to make sure the croutons toast evenly. Remove from oven and completely cool croutons. Store in an airtight container.
Coddled Eggs
- Coddling causes the yolk to become slightly thickened and warm.
- Basically, I use two methods.
- Method 1: Place room-temperature eggs gently into boiling water. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Immediately cool in cold water.
- Method 2: Bring a very fresh egg to room temperature by immersing it in warm water (otherwise it might crack when coddled).
- Place the egg in a small bowl or mug and pour boiling water around the egg until it is covered. Let stand for exactly 1 minute. Immediately run cold water into the bowl until the egg can be easily handled; set aside.
Caesar Salad dressing
- Before you start, stick the salad plates and salad forks in the frig.
- Mash together the garlic, anchovy, and salt until blended. (Okay, so it’s not pretty…but it’s good!)
- Whisk in the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
- Whisk in the coddled egg until the mixture is thick, approximately 1 minute (this enables the lemon juice to "cook" the eggs).
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with one hand while vigorously whisking the mixture with the other.
Assembling
- Separate the Romaine leaves and discard the coarse outer leaves. Wash, drain, and pat with paper towels or spin dry the remaining leaves.
- Note: Prepare ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. Tear or cut into bite-size pieces and set aside. (Purists would tell you that the leaves must remain whole. I actually cut mine! For shame.)
- In a large wooden salad bowl, add 1/3 of the prepared Caesar Salad Dressing and toss with the croutons until well coated.
- Add the Romaine lettuce pieces and the remaining dressing; toss until coated.
To serve
- Divide the salad between chilled plates and sprinkle each salad with the shaved Parmesan cheese and coarsely-ground black pepper. Serve immediately with chilled forks.
- Makes 2 to 4 servings (depending on serving sizes)
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Sometimes I add in some grilled shrimp and make the salad a full meal.
ABSOLUTE YUM!
I know it looks complicated, but it’s not really and it is so good. Let me know if you give it a try.
HI Debbie,
I shared my grilled wild salmon and two food related articles I hope you enjoy!
Caesar salad is my all-time favorite salad! I leave out the coddled egg though, mainly because I’ve never tried to coddle an egg before~I guess I’m going to have to try!
I love Caesar Salad and love to try out different recipes, thanks for posting and also for hosting the hop.
Thank you for hosting.
I have a page on my site that lists more than 250 hops, memes, and photo challenges… some for each day of the week. Check under the header for the link to that page. I’ve also started a BlogFrog community that focuses on hops, carnivals, memes, and photo challenges. Go to http://theblogfrog.com/1504201 to visit & participate.
NCSue
Oh, adding the shrimp looks like it was a FABULOUS idea. Sounds tasty!
Thanks for hosting!
I’m sharing a favorite summer cooler in the Philippines called Halo-Halo!
Thanks for another week of hosting!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
I know a lot of folks who don’t eat eggs (they’re allergic, for health reasons, or concerns about animal cruelty). Here’s an awesome site that gives tips on cooking and baking without eggs: http://EggFreeLiving.com
Your salad sounds fantastic! I love Caesar salad.
Caesar salad is one of my favorite salads. i used to have a great recipe for a dressing, but lost it few years ago. This one comes very close.
Hope you can come by and share it at Foodie Wednesday
http://www.frugalwannabecooks.com/2009/11/ravioli-deluca-style.html
This is one of my most fav kind of salads. Wonderful post.
I shared a yellow cake with fudge frosting recipe that only uses natural sweeteners…no refined sugars necessary! I hope you like it!
Hi Debbie,
Your Salad looks great. I just love a good salad in the summertime when all the veggies are so fresh. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you next week!
Miz Helen
This is my understanding of what a Caesar Salad should be. The more garlic the better in our house. Luckily we all feel the same.
I do have to give you a heads up about the garlic in oil as it can be very dangerous kept at room. Botulism can grow very quickly. It should only be kept a short time and even then in the fridge.
I am trying to visit every one of my blog followers. Some I am in contact with all the time but others have been MIA and we have lost touch. I want all of my blog buddies to know that I appreciate them.
This is my understanding of what a Caesar Salad should be. The more garlic the better in our house. Luckily we all feel the same.
I do have to give you a heads up about the garlic in oil as it can be very dangerous kept at room. Botulism can grow very quickly. It should only be kept a short time and even then in the fridge.
I am trying to visit every one of my blog followers. Some I am in contact with all the time but others have been MIA and we have lost touch. I want all of my blog buddies to know that I appreciate them.
Thanks for hosting. I am sharing a Sugar Free Freezer Jam recipe today!