I was laying on the coach, sick watching the cooking channel one day and I saw one super simple recipe for Caesar salad. I’ve never made my own Caesar dressing before so I decided to give a shot. I thought I liked Caesar dressing before, but not until I made this one. This dressing tastes fresh and light; much better than any store-bought one from a bottle. And the croutons add that extra flavor and crunch to the salad. Trust me it’s a party hit. I’ve made this salad a few times for family and friends since and everyone always loves it. I can’t take credit for the recipe, I saw it on Food 911 (Tyler Florence’s show).
Recipe:
Croutons:
- 1/2 loaf crusty Italian bread ( I used sour dough once and I liked it better)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (I usually put more of a variety of dried herbs, like marjoram, savory, rosemary and thyme)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Take a bowl and tear the bread into it. Add the dried herbs, salt, pepper, grated cheese and olive oil. Toss it all together and place on a cooking sheet. Bake for about 15 min or until golden brown.
Dressing:
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 1 clove garlic, smashed (I love garlic so I use about 4 cloves)
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt
Put the anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, and water into a blender and process until the mixture is smooth. Add the olive oil, cheese, salt and pepper and blend again. I usually taste it and add more black pepper if needed. Be careful with the salt because the anchovies are pretty salty as is.
Chop up your romaine lettuce. Add the dressing and croutons right before you serve the salad so that the croutons don’t become soggy. Grate some Parmesan on top for garnish. Enjoy! 🙂
MODERN DAY COOK 