Caesar Salad Days
My mom made The Joy of Cooking recipe for Caesar salad table-side at dinner parties during her wilder bachelorette days back in Ohio. These parties were adults-only. I was banished to my bedroom, but I’d sneak downstairs for a view of the procedure, which I still remember well. I’d crouch behind a chair in our brightly-lit living room and peer into the adjacent dining room which was almost completely dark. I could make out my mother’s form as she stood in front of a group of unrecognizable guests and ceremoniously cracked an egg into a large wooden salad bowl.
A salad so fancy that it required a nearly-dark table-side ritual intrigued me. I later asked my mother to make it for my brother and me. When I finally tasted it, the splash of the vinegar mixed with the saltiness of the anchovies and Parmesan shocked my system and blew my mind. As I drank the dressing that remained on the plate after the salad was gone, I remember my surprise at the strength of my love for this salad. For the first time I was aware of my personal taste.
I was 10-years-old when I first made it myself. Over the years I’ve modified my recipe. I found that I really don’t need the raw egg as a binder. Sometimes I add a splash of Egg Beaters or low-fat mayonnaise for a little more body. I often skip the croutons to keep the carbs down, and I always add extra anchovies. Below is my version followed by the 1967 Joy of Cooking original that started it all.
Who Invented the Caesar Salad?
Many people think the Caesar is an Italian salad and it kind of is, but they have the wrong Caesar in mind. It was developed in Tijuana, Mexico by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant – not Julius Caesar, the Roman general and First Triumvirate member. It’s confusing (I know!) because Julius Caesar’s head is often depicted on labels for the bottled salad dressing. The Joy of Cooking version is different than Cardini’s original which didn’t contain anchovies, uses lime instead of lemon, and was considerably more eggy.
Ingredients
- 1 bag of chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil citrus infused if possible
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 5 anchovies
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- The juice of 1 lemon
- Splash of Egg Beaters – optional
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Instructions
- Mash the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies together in a wooden salad bowl
- to make a paste. Add the lettuce and mix well to coat. Add the salt, pepper and
- mustard powder. Add the red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and egg if your using
- it. Mix well. Toss in the cheese and combine. Serve topped with freshly ground pepper
- and more Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
The original Caesar Salad from the 1967 edition of Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
For the famous recipe from California leave:
- 1 clove garlic peeled and sliced
- in 1/2 cup olive oil, none other, for 24 hours.
- Sauté one cup cubed French Bread in 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil above.
Break into 2″ lengths:
- 2 heads romaine
- Wash and dry well.
- Place the romaine in a salad bowl.
Sprinkle over it:
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- A generous grating of black pepper
- 5 fillets of anchovy cut up small or mashed into a paste
- a few drops of Worcestershire sauce
Add:
- 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar
- and the remaining 6 tablespoons of garlic oil.
Cook gently in simmering water for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or use raw:
- 1 egg
- Drop the egg from the shell onto the ingredients in the bowl.
- Squeeze over the egg: The juice of 1 lemon
- Add the croutons and:
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Toss the salad well. Serve it at once.
Read my essay about my childhood experience with this salad at sonorancorner.jackiealpers.com
