Happy Eats!

My husband and I both adore Caesar Salad. We like it with poached chicken, grilled chicken, even fried chicken strips. We’ll add salmon, shrimp, even leftover steak to Caesar Salad. We love it with the traditional romaine lettuce, but we’ll also add fresh spinach, mixed greens, or even iceburg lettuce.

The important thing, though, is the dressing. Some bottled Caesar dressings are okay. But some just don’t cut it - they’re either too salty, too full of garlic, too sour, or too bland. So when I have five extra minutes, I’ll make my own Caesar dressing. It’s a snap if you happen to have a tube of anchovy paste in the fridge. Trust me, even if you hate anchovies, you need a little bit of anchovy paste to make good Caesar dressing. It doesn’t add a fish taste, just a subtle special flavor that really makes the dressing!

For the dressing:

• 1 extra large egg, placed in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes
• 1 small garlic clove, minced fine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2-1 teaspoon anchovy paste (sold in tubes)
• 1 scant teaspoon worcester sauce
• 1/4 cup mildly flavored extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt

For the salad:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried well, and torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup croutons
• 3-4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Additions (use any ONE of the following):

• Any kind of cooked chicken (even leftover fried chicken strips)
• Cooked salmon, chopped or flaked
• Cooked shellfish, such as shrmip or crabmeat, chopped
• Leftover grilled steak or roast beef
• Leftover roast turkey

Have ready the following: a kitchen timer, all the dressing ingredients measured out, and a clean jar with a screw top lid.

Boil some water in a small saucepan. Place the warmed egg into the boiling water with a slotted spoon, then set the timer for 50 seconds. As soon as it goes off, remove the egg with the spoon, crack it open, and dump it into the jar. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients, screw on the lid, and shake hard for a good minute (my husband likes to help with this part). Taste, and add salt if needed.

If you want to make the dressing ahead of time, make sure you pour it through a strainer to get the garlic bits out before you put it in the fridge. The garlic tastes wonderful when fresh, but if it sits in the dressing it becomes too strong and gets an off taste.

Right before serving, dump the greens into a giant mixing bowl. Shake the dressing, pour it over the lettuce, and toss vigorously for a good minute. Add the coutons and cheese, and toss again for another minute. Pile the salad on big serving plates, and arrange the optional additions over the top.

4 servings - easily doubled if you have a big enough mixing bowl!