What’s a more classic salad than Caesar Salad?! It’s maybe my favorite salad of all time. Well, that’s a tough call to make as I love so many different kinds of salads. I even love the tinned anchovies laid across the top!-Salt! Lemon! Garlic! Cheese! The homemade croutons add another layer of texture with their buttery garlic infused crunch. I love to serve this on a hot day with a crisp glass of white wine and maybe some freshly shucked oysters to start:)
Dressing:
5 garlic cloves
2 whole lemons, squeezed for juice
1 Tablespoon anchovy paste or 10 filets
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste (be careful the anchovies and parm have a lot of salt)
½ cup shaved Parmesan
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into your favorite salad sized pieces
Croutons:
Round loaf of country style bread, cubed
1 stick butter
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1-2 cups shaved Parmesan cheese
Anchovy filets (if you are using to top salad)
1-2 cups shaved Parmesan
Make the croutons:
Preheat the oven to 350.
On the stovetop, place butter in a large saucepan or cast iron pan and melt over medium low heat. Add the diced garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the cubed bread. Add a ½ cup of olive oil and the parsley flakes. Stir to make sure everything is coated. No dry spots should show-if they do add more olive oil. Place them on a sheet pan flat. Sprinkle about half a tub of Parmesan cheese over the top or more if you desire. Place in the oven and toast for 15-30 minutes depending on how hard you like your croutons. Cool on the counter.
Make the dressing:
Add to a blender all the ingredients and blend. If the dressing is too thin(different amounts of juice come from different lemons) keep adding olive oil until it has the right consistency.
Add romaine to a large salad bowl and toss with the croutons, a tub of shaved Parmesan and with as much or little dressing as you like. Top with anchovy filets (if you’re using).
