Caesar Salad

I love Caesar salad.  So much.  We make it a lot.  Because it is so delicious.  And it goes perfectly with Italian.  Which we eat.  A lot.  This is the recipe that I've tweaked over the past few years and which I usually make.  Unless I forget an ingredient.  Or add an ingredient.  Hey, it can happen.  Especially at our house. 

Now, I'm issuing a disclaimer up front.  This recipes uses a raw egg.  Actually, it is coddled.  I love that word, probably because it sounds like cuddle, but, basically, it's raw.  If the idea of a raw egg  freaks you out, this isn't the recipe for you.  To coddle the egg, you want to boil some water and immerse one egg in it for 60 to 90 seconds.  Pull it out (not with your bare hands) and run it under cold water.

In addition to the coddled egg, you will need olive oil, salt and pepper, croutons, Worcestershire, ground mustard and Kosher salt.  If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own croutons, but for the sake of convenience, I usually just use some right out of the bag.

You will also need about a cup of grated Parmesan, a head of romaine lettuce

a lemon, a clove of garlic, the above coddled egg

and anchovies.

Beautiful smelly anchovies.  Sometimes when I make this salad, people are grossed out by the thought of the coddled egg and anchovies, but I promise you, it is great.

Now that you have gathered all your ingredients, you need a big wooden bowl.  Dump a little over a tablespoon of Kosher salt into the bowl and then smash a large garlic clove.

Now, take the smashed garlic and rub the salt all over the bowl

until the inside surface of the bowl is coated with garlicky salt.

Now, pull the garlic cloves back out and mince them.

Next, take four anchovies

and mince them.  There will be little bones in there, but don't worry about them.  They are tiny.  Just chop them up.

Put the garlic and anchovies into your bowl and use a wooden spoon to smash it into a paste.

Next, take the coddled egg and peel it, dropping it into the bowl. 

Add the juice from half a lemon

and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper

and then add a teaspoon of ground mustard.

Now, sometimes, but not always, I add a little bit of Jalapeno seasoning to the mix.  I once took a cooking class at a tapas bar in Mexico (I know, it sounds awful, but it was a lot of fun) and the chef made a great Caesar to which he added just a little heat.  This accomplishes that, when I'm in the mood for something spicy.

If you have a little one in the kitchen helping, tell him to start whisking.  You want to break up any chunks of egg white you might have in the dressing.

For the last step, add a cup of grated Parmesan and about a 1/3 a cup of olive oil. 

and again instruct your little helper to whisk. 

Now, take your head of romaine and cut it up.

Put the lettuce in the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the dressing.

Top with croutons and grind a little extra Parmesan.

Serve and enjoy!

Caesar Salad
serves: 4  (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

• 1 large egg
  
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 4 anchovies, minced
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Jalapeno seasoning, optional
• 1 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 head romaine, cut into bite size pieces.
• 1/2 cup Caesar croutons
  

Coddle the egg by bringing a small saucepan of water to a boil and immersing the egg for 60 to 90 seconds.  Remove the egg from the water and run under cold water.

Place one tablespoon of Kosher salt into a large wooden bowl.  Use the smashed garlic to rub the salt all over the bowl until the inside surface of the bowl is coated with garlicky salt.  Remove the garlic clove from the bowl and mince before adding back in.  Add the minced anchovies and use a wooden spoon to smash it into a paste.  Peel and add the coddled egg to the bowl with the juice of half a lemon, the Worchestershire sauce, ground mustard and optional Jalapeno seasoning, if you want a little twist on a traditional Caesar.

Whisk the dressing, breaking up any pieces of egg white.  Add a cup of grated Parmesan and a 1/3 a cup of olive oil and whisk until combined.

Put the lettuce in the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the dressing.  Top with croutons a little extra Parmesan.