Caesar salad with anchovy croutons

A traditional Caesar salad is of course made with romaine lettuce. We actually have some in the garden, which has filled out nicely. So we took a Melissa Clark NY Times recipe, tinkered with it, and made this wet-your-pants-good concoction. Then we made it again, and again. Each time a detail or two was altered.
Don’t be put off by the quantity of anchovies. The flavor just blends into both the croutons and the dressing.
We almost always have homemade croutons on hand from the ends of baguettes we get for lunchtime sandwiches. This recipe makes enough dressing for the two of us to have twice. We had just 7 shrimp in the freezer and so extended the protein by adding 3 slices of crisp bacon (400 degree oven for 20 minutes).

Serve the romaine as separated leaves, cut across into 1” pieces. Sometimes I like to slice the romaine in half lengthwise and leave it intact – your choice.

Caesar salad with anchovy croutons

½ cup olive oil

7 anchovy filets, finely chopped

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed

3 oz. crusty day-old bread in 3/4” cubes

1/8 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 large eggs

1 medium head romaine lettuce for each 2 servings (substitute other greens as you choose)

¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

The protein:
3 oz. cooked shrimp per serving

3 slices crispy bacon, broken in pieces

Make croutons: Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the anchovies and cook, stirring, until they melt into oil, about 2 minutes. Stir in half the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bread cubes, salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Toast, tossing frequently, until croutons are golden and crisp, 3-5 minutes.

Make dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining garlic and anchovies, plus lemon juice, mustard, W-sauce and remaining pepper. Slowly whisk in remaining olive oil (I found I did not need all of it; just taste as you go along).Prepare eggs: poach them in simmering water to which a bit of vinegar has been added. Or soft boil them in the shell (4 minutes). Or (as I did last night) throw them into the pan where you’ve cooked the shrimp and stir around with a spatula for 15-20 seconds. Make them as runny or fully cooked as you prefer.

Assembly: Combine greens, cheese and croutons in a large bowl. Add some dressing and toss to coat. Toss well and add salt to taste. Put into wide bowls and garnish with cooked shrimp, bacon, and an egg to make a complete meal.

Caesar-style salad

I call this “Caesar-style” because it’s not a real Caesar salad. It does not have egg in it and includes lemon juice instead of vinegar. However, it is reminiscent of the real thing and quite tasty.

As with many of the things I prepare, I made this up. The hearts of palm are optional, but are a wonderful addition. The olives are also optional.

One of the best Caesar salads I ever had was at a Denver restaurant, Prima, where Peter and I had lunch, paid for with a gift certificate he had received as a Christmas gift. I recall my entrée was cioppino, made by a new cook at the restaurant. Our waitress was eager to know what I thought of it. After a couple of years I don’t really remember much except that, in general, I liked it.

We started lunch with a shared Caesar salad. It was a copious quantity of hearts of romaine lettuce with a delicious dressing and shaved parmesan. Indeed the salad was over-dressed, at least in terms of how we eat at home.

As it happened we had Castelvetrano olives, a very mild green variety, and romano cheese on hand. I guess the only kind of olives I would not use would be standard green ones in a jar – the kind that might be stuffed with pimento.

Caesar-style salad
1 head heart of romaine
juice of 1/2 lemon, about 2 tbsp
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper2 pieces hearts of palm4-6 olives, any kind you like

Slice the lettuce in half lengthwise and trim the bottom end. Keep the halves intact and place each on a salad plate cut side up. Alongside the lettuce place a piece of heart of palm, sliced or not, and a few olives.

For the dressing: put the lemon juice in a bowl. Add garlic and salt and pepper and whisk in olive oil, tasting frequently, until an emulsion is formed and there is a good balance of the flavors (your judgment counts for everything here).

Stir in finely grated cheese, again to taste. Spoon dressing over the lettuce, palm and olives, and top with a bit more grated cheese if you wish.

For a free excerpt of my book, “A Year of Food,” in which I opine, report, cook, muse and philosophize about everything that passed my lips for an entire year, write to me at: scrout1944@msn.com.