The most popular tableside salad in the United States is the Caesar salad; most people believe to be named after some Roman Emperor or another. I have tried many renditions here in North Carolina and have been sorely disappointed; does anyone know where to get a real Caesar salad? The real Caesar salad was the invention of an Italian born chef Caesar Cardini working in Tijuana, Mexico. As the story goes Chef Caesar had run low on food on the 4th of July in 1924, so with limited ingredients, he decided to put on a show that would be repeated in dining rooms across the world in the next eighty years. Three years before Cardini's death in 1956, the master chefs of the 'International Society of Epicures' in Paris proclaimed Caesar's salad as "the greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in 50 years." There have been various other claims but this one is backed by Julia Childs herself, having eaten the salad with her parents in the twenties at his restaurant.
The original recipe was very simple romaine, olive oil, garlic, egg, salt, cracked black pepper, worchestershire sauce, parmesan and croutons. No the original did not have anchovies, but they are an ingredient in the worchestershire sauce. I am going to share a recipe given to me by maitre d’ Walter Munaretto, whom I worked with at the Italian Pavilion, an award winning gourmet restaurant at the Biltmore in Coral Gables, Florida. By far the best tasting and well presented I have ever experienced.
The Italian Pavilion Caesar Salad by Walter Munaretto
10-12 whole leaves romaine heart
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 c up baguette bread cubed
½ cup olive oil
1 egg coddled, boiling water for 1 minute and then cooled
½ lemon wrapped in cheesecloth
2 T red wine vinegar
3-4 dashed Worschestershire Sauce
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ t. sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 filets of anchovies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, toss croutons and 1 clove crushed garlic and toast until golden brown
- Coddle egg for one minute, being sure to cool before use
- In a large wooden bowl rub garlic around sides of bowl, add anchovies, Dijon, vinegar, lemon juice and worchestershire work with a fork until paste is formed
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil and whisk using fork, crack egg and continue to whisk.
- Add whole romaine leaves and ½ the parmesan and roll in dressing using two forks
- Serve on chilled plate with chilled forks top with remaining parmesan and offer more cracked pepper.
This is a great appetizer salad before a nice steak dinner or with grilled seafood. Many restaurants have changed the Caesar salad to an unrecognizable form, mayonnaise heavy dressing, artisan toppings or downright weird accompaniments. This recipe is easy and quick and worth the effort. Always eat immediately due to raw egg product.
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