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Use
imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
just before tossing.
Serve shrimp "on the BAR•B"
1.
The reason a shiny lacquered salad bowl is useless is
that there is no roughness to grind the ingredients
against. If you don't have a rough wooden salad bowl,
the dressing can be made (at great sacrifice) in a blender.
Add all of the dressing ingredients except the yolk
(i.e. not the lettuce, croutons or cheese). Puree. Then
add the yolk and pulse a couple of times—just enough
to blend it without causing the dressing to turn mayonnaisey.
2. The anchovy is optional, but I promise you, you will
never be able to isolate it's taste. 3. I find that
the flavor of olive oil overwhelms the dressing so I
use safflower oil. Other light vegetable oils or olive
oil may be substituted.
1.
If you use anything other than fresh garlic, or less
than 3 cloves, don't tell anyone that this is my recipe.
2. The lettuce leaves should be coated, but not soaked,
in dressing. Adjust the amount of dressing as necessary
to keep salad from becoming too "wet".
Large unvarnished wooden salad
bowl, grater
20
minutes
10
minutes
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Seizure
Salad
serves
6 [from "off the eaten path"]
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| This my all-time most popular recipe.
Since I was taught how to make a Caesar salad in 1980, I have
made more than five hundred. While I certainly can't take credit
for inventing the Caesar, I can claim to have identified the
best ingredients, perfected the technique, and articulated the
nuances. I'm so obsessed that I carry my well-worn salad bowl
with me in a snare drum case when I take my show on the road
(it doesn't hurt that flight attendants mistake me for a drummer).
Over the years I have received hundreds of letters from readers
who have mastered the dressing and been deified by their friends.
The
ultimate compliment came from a waitress in Toronto who took
me aside and whispered "every time I make your Caesar salad
for a date, I get laid". |
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| 3 |
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thick slices
of slightly stale, sourdough or rustic country- style
bread cut into 3/4-inch cubes |
| 3 |
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tablespoons
olive oil |
| 1/4 |
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teaspoon
salt |
| 1 |
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teaspoon
coarsely ground black pepper |
| 3 |
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garlic cloves,
minced. |
| 2 |
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anchovies
(or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste) |
| 2 |
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teaspoons
Dijon mustard (the real stuff, not the dried stuff) |
| 1 |
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egg yolk,
coddled |
| 1 |
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tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice |
| 1 |
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teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce |
| 1 |
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cup safflower
oil |
| 1 |
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teaspoons
red wine vinegar |
| 1 |
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large heads
romaine lettuce, outer leaves discarded, remaining leaves
washed and thoroughly dried. If lettuce looks anorexic,
or is in need of a serious trim, buy 2 heads. |
| 1/2 |
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cup grated
Parmesan cheese |
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| 1 |
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To make
croutons, preheat oven to 350ºF. |
| 2 |
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Place the
bread in a large bowl and add olive oil. Toss and squish
the bread like a sponge until the oil is evenly absorbed. |
| 3 |
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Place the
croutons on a baking sheet or aluminum foil and bake in
the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Try not to forget about them as I often do. |
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Start the
dressing by adding salt and pepper to the salad bowl (this
creates a sandpaper-like base that will make the next
steps easier). Add the garlic. Using the back of a soup
spoon, grind the garlic against the wall of the bowl until
it is well mushed. Then add the anchovies, and once again
use the back of the spoon to grind it into a paste. Follow
the same procedure, adding the Dijon, egg yolk, lemon
juice and Worcestershire sauce one at a time. Make sure
that each ingredient is blended into a smooth paste with
the previous ingredients before proceeding. It should
take about 15 seconds of muscle power to blend in each
new ingredient. |
| 5 |
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Add the
oil and vinegar. Blend well. |
| 6 |
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Just before
serving, tear or slice the lettuce leaves into bite-sized
pieces and add to the salad bowl. Toss thoroughly with
dressing. |
| 7 |
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Add the
croutons (did you forget about them?!) and cheese, toss
again, and serve immediately. |
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