Recipe of the Week: Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is the perfect long weekend treat, and you can easily make it extra special with three ingredients: homemade dressing, whole rashers of crispy bacon, and homemade croutons. All are easy to create, and your long weekend guests will be extra happy they came to your bbq!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 heads of romaine, ideally with dark green leaves
12 slices of bacon
2 cups sourdough or rustic country white bread, roughly cut into 2” dice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmigiano (2 tbsp for the dressing, the rest for the salad)

Dressing:

1 egg yolk (reserve the white for another use)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 anchovies in oil, minced (or 1 tsp anchovy paste)
2 garlic cloves, minced with a microplane (or finely chopped)
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or vegetable oil

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay the strips of bacon on a parchment paper-lined tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy. Remove and pat dry on a paper towel. When cooled, crumble into large pieces.

2) In a large bowl, toss the cut bread cubes with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake with the bacon until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3) Cut the romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces and wash thoroughly. Dry and set aside in a large salad bowl.

4) Make the dressing. In a work bowl add the egg yolk, dijon, lemon juice and zest, anchovies, garlic, white wine vinegar, black pepper, and Worcestershire. Whisk together to combine well. Place the work bowl on a wet kitchen towel for stability, then slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking all the while, until all of the oil has been emulsified into the liquid. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Finally stir in 2 tbsp of grated parmigiano to the dressing. 

5) Dress the romaine with half of the dressing, adding as much or as little as you prefer (the extra dressing can stay in your fridge for up to ten days). Toss the dressed salad with the croutons, remaining parmigiano, and the bacon, and serve.