Starving Artists in the Kitchen--Caesar Salad!

Feb 01, 2009 18:32








Joseph's Caesar Salad!

[Kate's note: you'll recognize this section as Joseph's own words!]

Some purists harp on the idea that the original Caesar Salad wasn’t made with anchovies. They hyperventilate over the fact that people thought it had anchovies in it but it was actually made with Worcestershire sauce, which gives it an anchovy flavor. Of course, the reason Worcestershire sauce has an anchovy flavor it because it is made with…

…wait for it…

…anchovies.

Unfortunately, even the best of Worcestershire sauces nowadays are also made with crap like high fructose corn syrup and hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, along with a raft of things you can't even pronounce. So we’re going to make our Caesar Salad the way it should have been made in the first place - with anchovies!

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

[Kate's note: If you're nervous about raw eggs, stop right now. We use only the freshest, cage-free, Omega-3 eggs--not sure I'd want to use the ordinary supermarket kind, myself!]
2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 oz can of anchovies, drained and chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated

fresh ground pepper

sprouts, if you like

croutons

Directions:

I just throw everything except the cheese, pepper and croutons in a blender. Kate prefers using a whisk, which is a bit more work but is probably worth the effort.

[Kate's note: nah, but it's a lot quieter, and I hate noise...here's my favorite type of whisk
]
If using a whisk, mix the egg yolk, garlic, mustard, salt, lemon juice and anchovies. Then slowly add the oil as you whisk.

Adding it slowly allows the dressing to thicken properly.

[Kate's note: this is a lot how you make your own mayo, something else people don't do much any more. More's the pity, it's delicious! I have an antique mayo-mixer, but here's today's version: Dressing and Mayonnaise Mixer]

Because of the egg yolk, this dressing doesn’t keep well, so don’t make it too far ahead of time; no earlier than the day you’re going to serve it. It’s best if used immediately.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing, cheese and croutons, top with fresh ground pepper, and serve.

A note on cheese - Romano is traditional and has a stronger flavor, but any hard, aged cheese will work, just so it’s shredded, not powdered. I normally use the commercial blend of shredded Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheeses.

If it’s just us, I throw in an extra clove of garlic, but it’s not the best idea for company!

-------------------

Tonight, Joseph made the croutons from the sourdough bread we picked up at Van Till Farms and Rayville Bakery this week. www.vantillfarms.com/ We are LOVING this place--I've gotten whole wheat bread, 9-grain bread, the sourdough, plus stone-ground organic flour I've already used to make one loaf of bread (recipes to come!) We treat ourselves to one freshly-baked peanut butter cookie every time we go...next time he challenged me to make it all the way home before finishing mine. (He normally doesn't make it to the PARKING LOT!)

They've just built a wood-fired pizza oven and cook in it Friday nights...we've got a date!

--------------------

For you artists out there--the illustration was done with a burnt sienna Micron Pigma pen and watercolor washes.  It was fun!

starving artists in the kitchen, caesar salad, van till farms

Previous post Next post
Up
[]