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Caesar anytime!
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If you look out the window right now, it is cold, dark and wet out there. It is times like these when I crave two things: braised foods and (perversely) a really well made salad. Today the salad of choice for me was a simple delicious Caesar Salad.
I have a deep and abiding love of the deceptively simple seeming luscious Caesar salad. The ingredient list is short, but it hides a basic truth: with few ingredients, the is more emphasis placed on the technique for making the salad. One of the things I love about the Caesar is it’s flexibility: in a small portion, it is a perfect appetizer; in a larger one, it is great as dinner. You can have it with brunch, or for a formal dining occasion. It can be as simple as dressing and lettuce, or as complex as you wish it to be. In short it is one of the greatest single salads that can be made, and on cold slushy days like today, I just can not wait to get home and make one for dinner.
Make this dressing more than once and you just may stop buying that stuff in a bottle at the local supermarket! (If there is extra left over, save it for up to three days) It also is an incredibly good dip for raw veggies!
You will need:
one bowl and a whisk
one egg yolk
½ tsp dijon mustard
juice ½ lemon
one anchovy fillet broken into small pieces or chopped finely (three boquerones if using as a substitute)
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup olive oil (this does not have to be the most expensive available, just something nice and not too grassy)
one clove garlic minced
good quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (grated or microplaned) as much as you can afford or like
salt and (lots of) ground fresh black pepper
Romaine lettuce, torn or chopped into bite sized pieces
Accoutrements:
I like to add black olives, chicken, shrimp, freshly made croutons, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano or Ricotta Salata cheeses, seared tuna steak, more of the boquerones (those expensive little Spanish anchovy fillets that are preserved in vinegar and herbs: they taste very nice and are a really great touch), virtually anything under the sun: but remember, these are accent pieces for this nice salad, not an excuse to put a huge chunk of poached salmon on a plate or all of these at once, ok?
Directions:
Into the bowl add the mustard, egg yolk, and anchovy fillet, whisk for a minute or two.
Slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil while whisking steadily: one drop at a time. (Keep your cool, keep whisking)
Once everything begins to come together, add about 1/3 of the lemon juice: one drop at a time. (Keep whisking)
Then add the olive oil and garlic a bit at a time (slowly). (Keep whisking)
Add more of the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper (I totally love black pepper, so I like a lot). (Keep whisking)
Once seasoned to your liking, fold in a bit of the Parmigiano Reggiano to finish.
Toss the romaine leaves with some of the dressing, and sit back to a luxurious salad. You deserve it.
Cheers,
Erik
Photo courtesy of Erik Wunderlich
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