Bon jour! Comment ca va? (That's me, on the right!)After contemplating the addition of this journal into my life for some time, I have finally decided to get a move on, share what little I've learned, and what less I've mastered. I hope that it is your love of good food and not of good writing that brings us together today.My first of what I hope will be many entries is the basic, yet perfect, Caesar Salad.
Let me begin by saying that if you find the thought of eating raw eggs repugnant, if you cannot allow yourself to enjoy the salty perfection of an anchovie, then by all means, read no further. This recipe, though I love it dearly, is not the for faint-of-heart. Nor, many would say, is it for the very young, the very old, or those with a compromised immune system.
Disclaimer in place, let us stroll into the kitchen.
To be truly great, food must be discussed in earnest, debated with zeal, and wrought with controversy. And, the inclusion of anchovies in a Caesar meets all of those criteria.
Born as a creation of Caesar Cardini's Italian restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, the Caesar salad has a plethora of published recipes. In my experiments, and the following is far and above my favorite. For those concerned about the raw eggs, pasturized may be employed for safety.
Homemade croutons add a great deal of character, but in a pinch, you can go with store-bought. Prepared Caesar Salad Dressings, though some are nice in their own regard, cannot come close to this "from scratch" version. I strongly recommend that you give it a try!
Ingredients:
Four or five large slices of Italian bread
3 cloves of garlic
2 large anchovy fillets
9 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (the best that you can find)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large fresh eggs
2 cups of hot water
best small leaves of two heads of romaine lettuce
pepper to taste
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp Worchestire sauce
1/4 cup freshly ground Parmesan
Cut bread into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes and bake in a 350 degree oven until dried.
Crush the garlic into four tbls. of the olive oil. Strain the garlic infused oil into a skillet over medium heat (if you leave the garlic in the oil, it will burn and throw off the taste of the dressing) and add 1/4 tsp. of salt. Fry the dried bread in the oil until the cubes absorb the oil, and the bread is golden.
Heat the two cups of water to barely boiling. Remove from the heat, and add the eggs. Coddle the eggs in the hot water for one minute, and then plunge into cold water to halt the cooking.
Now, into a large bowl, place the anchovy fillets with 1/4 tsp. of salt and three tbl. of the olive oil. Crush the anchovy into the salt and oil until it forms a paste. Tear the lettuce into the bowl, grind on some black pepper, and toss. Add lemon juice, Worchestshire sauce, and break the eggs into it. Toss until it forms a creamy dressing, and then add the Parmesan and croutons.
Toss lightly, and serve in chilled bowls.
Best I've ever had!
Au revoir, a bientot!
the johnster
