How To: Make a Great Caesar Salad
The most important factor in a good Caesar is the lettuce. Buy a nice, fresh romaine and use it immediately. Assume one head of romaine for every two people.
It\'s important to strip off all of the outer leaves. You\'ll feel like you\'re wasting food, but you want to make sure you only use the very best. Note how much lettuce is sitting in the garbage bowl.
Split the heads into the individual leaves, continuing to examine for flaws and discard. If you think we\'re being too obsessive over lettuce, remember that you\'re making a SALAD.
Wash lettuce well, preferably in a salad spinner. Unlike other salads, try to keep the pieces large - this salad is eaten with a knife and fork.
While you are prepping the lettuce, crush 3-4 cloves of garlic and cover them with 1 cup of olive oil. Let them sit.
Ever wonder how restaurants get those nice Parmesan shavings? Use a vegetable peeler.
Assemble your troops! You will need, in addition to lettuce and garlic oil, the juice of one lemon, Worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper and, if you like, anchovies.
Put a small pot of water on to boil. Add your egg for one minute, then remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
It\'s time to assemble. Put the lettuce in a very large bowl. Add 2 generous spoonfuls of garlic oil and toss.
Add salt and pepper - lots of it. Toss again.
Starting with the lemon juice, add the rest of the ingredients, tossing between each one. Use about 2 tbsp of lemon juice per 2 heads of romaine, and about 4 shakes of the bottle of Worchestershire. And don\'t hesitate to throw in more oil - the lettuce should be coated! Add the egg, and mix well.
When you\'re finished, layer your masterpiece on a platter. Top with Parmesan and enjoy.
A really excellent Caesar salad is a dish that separates the decent home cook from the great one. We've all had the bad Caesar - pre-cut lettuce from a bag, brown at the edges, drowning in a sauce with too much mayo and not enough flavor. Never again! If you can take just a few ingredients and treat them very nicely, you can make a starter that will have your friends and family glowing with happiness. Or, you can scarf it all down yourself. The instructions are in the photo captions, but a quick opening note: This salad can be customized any way you like. In the style of an authentic Caesar, we used an egg (boiled for 1 minute), rather than mayo. We did not add anchovies, as the original recipe uses Worchestershire sauce, which has anchovy paste. If you want to bulk the salad up, feel free to add some homemade croutons. Most of all, keep tossing - a great Caesar must be well blended.
