Sorry Caesar...didn't mean to call you basic. You are anything but.
My favorite thing about Caesar salads, other than the fact that the dressing is the best tasting thing on the planet, is that I can call out my crazy picky friends for ordering a "chicken casear wrap" at any food establishment. Ah yes, that creamy, decadent deliciously normal tasting salad dressing you cannot avoid is flavored with a crucial ingredient. Anchovies. Those briny, salty, eyebrow shaped creatures of the sea is what's making that dressing taste so good. You may need to start modifying your pizza orders. I also have fun reminding my friends that the fried calamari appetizer they order as an entree is squid, despite the fact that it tastes like a McDonald's chicken nugget. Please note that my dying request is to be buried in a bed of calamari from any establishment, so no judgement here.
I'm getting used to whipping up this easy caesar dressing any time I'm entertaining. I can chop up four giant heads of romaine and it's guaranteed to be devoured by my party of three. Traditional dressing recipes call for whisking eggs and olive oil together for the creamy base of the dressing. Even though I just boasted about my love of exposing picky eaters, I'm just not in that stage of my life to serve raw eggs to guests. Prove me wrong. I'm open to suggestions. So I go all Americana and use mayonnaise. Also, please explain to me why nobody bats an eye if a recipe calls for egg yolks and olive oil, however my few scoops out of the Hellman's jar sends my dad running away in fear. Fun fact, mayonnaise is olive oil and egg yolks.
Even though the beauty of caesar salad is the dressing, the backbone and piece de resistance is the croutons. My mom bought a bag of ranch flavored croutons the other week and I had to stop visiting my parents' house because I would eat them all. Like as a snack. It's not healthy. Fueled by this need to eat stale hard bread, I decided to take a crack at making my own and I don't regret it. It's seriously easy, and the amount you pay for a loaf of bread is likely less than a bag that contains 18 morsels.
Ingredients:
The dressing
1 tsp anchovy paste or 2 small fillets chopped finely and mashed into a paste
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp lemon juice from one whole lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients until fully combined. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Garlic Croutons:
4 cups cubed bread (try to use a crusty sturdy bread like sourdough)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until it becomes golden and fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring so that the garlic doesn't burn. Strain the olive oil and garlic mixture so there are no garlic pieces left (these will burn in the oven). Coat the bread in the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping occasionally until the bread is crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Toss with parsley and salt and pepper.
For the salad
4 heads of romaine chopped
1/3 cup grated or shaved parmesan
fresh ground black pepper
Combine romaine with dressing and croutons in a large serving bowl. Top with fresh grated parmesan or shaved ribbons of parmesan. Serve with additional fresh black pepper.
The dressing
1 tsp anchovy paste or 2 small fillets chopped finely and mashed into a paste
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp lemon juice from one whole lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients until fully combined. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Garlic Croutons:
4 cups cubed bread (try to use a crusty sturdy bread like sourdough)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook until it becomes golden and fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring so that the garlic doesn't burn. Strain the olive oil and garlic mixture so there are no garlic pieces left (these will burn in the oven). Coat the bread in the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping occasionally until the bread is crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Toss with parsley and salt and pepper.
For the salad
4 heads of romaine chopped
1/3 cup grated or shaved parmesan
fresh ground black pepper
Combine romaine with dressing and croutons in a large serving bowl. Top with fresh grated parmesan or shaved ribbons of parmesan. Serve with additional fresh black pepper.
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