Caesar Salad: Robert’s Classic Version

I’ve been making Caesar salad for years and years. Early on in my Caesar salad career, I had heard that this salad originated in California, and that it had nothing to do with the Romans, Julius Caesar or Italy. In fact, I once made a Caesar salad for a bunch of Italians on the Riviera near Genova, and they were excitedly surprised, and very curious about it because they had never heard of it or tasted it before.

Actually, the most accepted version of Caesar salad’s origin focuses on a small restaurant in Tijuana owned by Caesar Cardini in the 1920’s. Supposedly, he created the salad by taking what was available to him in the kitchen one day, and for a dramatic emphasis, he prepared the salad at patrons’ tables. I remember reading once that my mentor, Julia Child as a young girl, had enjoyed a Caesar salad made by Cardini in the 1920’s in his Tijuana restaurant. I also recall reading a piece in The New York Times several years ago claiming that the original Cardini restaurant still exists in Tijuana, albeit in a considerably sleazier venue than the one of first-half twentieth century. But the restaurant continues to crank out Caesar salads for patrons who mainly come to enjoy the “exotic floorshows”. I can just imagine.

Anyway, I can’t believe that after all this time writing about my cuisine, I haven’t included a post with a recipe for my Caesar salad. However, I’ll rectify that right now.

Ingredients:
serves 4

~ 1 large head fresh romaine lettuce, throughly washed and dried, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces*
~ 1 large egg, coddled in its shell (simmered in hot water for a minute or so, but not even close to the soft boiled stage)
~ 6 cloves (or more to taste) of fresh garlic, peeled
~ 1 can of anchovies or 6 salted anchovies fillets cleaned and soaked in milk for 15 minutes, and then rinsed
~ 1 lemon, juiced
~ 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
~ 1 teaspoon ground mustard
~ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
~ 1 tablespoon horseradish
~ 2 cups fresh pan toasted croutons** (preferably a good white bread loaf, although in a pinch I’ve even used English muffins and sliced bread)
~ 1 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, additional shaved slices for garnish (yes, you want real Reggiano)
~ 1-2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
~ 1 cup of good quality olive oil (at 2 GM, we’re really into California Olive Ranch EVOO)

* There’s a whole school out there that advocates tearing the lettuce into bite size pieces, and sometimes I support their position. The other Gourmaniac likes her pieces neat and symmetrical, so most of my Caesar salads are of the cut-by-knife variety. It’s up to you.)

** Cut the bread into ¾” – 1″ cubes, and toast in a large skillet over high heat in half cup good olive oil, constantly tossing or stirring them until golden brown.

Method:

Using a food processor makes preparing the dressing a cinch. Throw the garlic cloves and anchovies plus the lemon juice into the work bowl. Blitz ingredients until the garlic is finely chopped. (You may have to scrape the garlic down from the sides with a spatula.)  The strength or degree of “bite” of your dressing depends upon how much garlic you use. This is a strictly personal taste. I mentioned 6 cloves as a mid point for the strength threshold. Rosaria and I are garlic freaks, so there are times when I make this salad just for us that I use 12 or more garlic cloves. Just be warned, regardless of the quantity of garlic you use, everyone that you’re going to be close to or in intimate contact with for the next 12-18 hours needs to also enjoy your Caesar Salad.

While your egg is coddling, add the balsamic vinegar along with the mustard, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce to the work bowl and pulse. Take the coddled egg, break it open over the work bowl and drop it in, scraping out any of the egg’s albumen that may have congealed in the shell. Pulse to combine.

Again, there are two procedural schools for combining the olive oil. The first is to empty the work bowl’s contents into a mixing bowl and whisk in the olive oil drop by drop as you would with a vinaigrette; the other is to leave the contents in the work bowl and pour the olive oil into the food processor’s feed tube while the machine is running. Depending upon the size of your food processor and consequently, the size of its feed tube, you may have to refill the feed tube once or twice. Regardless of which method you use, you’ll end up with a thick, viscous sauce which may have to been thinned out with additional lemon juice or balsamic vinegar or both. Again, it is a matter of personal taste.

Now you’re ready to toss together the romaine lettuce pieces, the croutons, the dressing, and the Parmesan cheese. Place the cut romaine into a large salad bowl, add the dressing, the croutons and finally top with the cheese and a generous grind of black pepper. To somewhat replicate Cardini’s dramatic flair, you can bring the bowl to the dining room table and toss the salad in front of your guests. Be prepared for oohs and aahs. I don’t think in the thirty years that I’ve been making Caesar salad that I have ever seen a plate come back to the kitchen with any uneaten Caesar salad on it.

RMA

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