Ensalada Caesar (Caesar Salad)
This is truly a Southwestern salad. It was developed in Tijuana in the 1920s. It was created by an Italian chef for Americans who flocked into Mexico to escape Prohibition.
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 cups day-old French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 egg, unshelled
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 small heads romaine, stripped of less crisp outer leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Method
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a heavy ovenproof skillet, warm 1/4 cup of the oil over medium heat. Sliver 1 garlic clove, add it to the oil, and sauté about 1 minute. Stir in the bread cubes, tossing them to coat well with the oil.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the bread cubes for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp.
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 to 3 inches of water to boil. Slip the egg into the water and boil for exactly 1 minute. When broken the egg will still be runny. Or you can completely hard boil it and use the mashed yolk in the dressing.
- In a blender, puree the remaining garlic with the remaining oil and pour the mixture through a strainer into a large bowl. Add the egg to the oil and, with a fork, blend in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add romaine leaves, all laying the same direction in the bowl. Toss the romaine gently with the dressing. Scatter the cheese over the salad, and serve immediately.