Food seems to be a topic that everyone can relate to and one that I know a little something about - I have eaten most all of my life. As this topic does not involve religion nor politics nor any rotten current event - I am happy to discuss it. Frankly, I am fed up with everything. So, in the spirit of avoiding anything remotely intellectual or controversial, I submit to you this recipe for Caesar Salad. It is not my recipe. I got it from a friend who at the time was the chef at a country club. I've never tried any other homemade Caesar Salad recipe so I can't compare. But the well-heeled members liked it and so do the not-so-well-heeled to whom I've served it. Now, this is a rather garlicky affair here so beware if you have to face people within 24 hours of its consumption - unless you really don't like them at all. In that case, you can say, "Hhhhhhhhhhhhi!", right in their face.
Caesar Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsps lemon juice - freshly squeezed, not the bottled stuff - never the bottled stuff. Chuck that bottle in the trash and keep real lemons on hand, for goodness sake. If you don't have a manual lemon squeezer, you might consider getting one. They're very handy for lemons and limes. I got mine at the Mexican grocery store where I buy yerba. Mexicans use tons of lime juice. Pictured is the kind I'm talking about.
- 2 tbsps red wine vinegar - I wouldn't use any other type of vinegar. It's specified for a reason so I've always stuck with it.
- 3 medium cloves of garlic - smashed and peeled like I showed you. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to struggle through it somehow.
- 3 or 4 anchovy fillets - don't let this turn you off if you don't like anchovies, you'll never know they're in there. And don't accidentally get sardines like I did the other day. They're all sitting there together, so if you're not really thinking, it can happen. Ooh, that pissed me off. Don't get me wrong, I like sardines and eat them all the time. They're very, very good for you. But I needed anchovies!
- 1 raw egg yolk - it won't kill you. The acid from the vinegar and lemon will kill anything in there - at least that's my theory.
- 1 cup of grapeseed oil or any other light tasting vegetable oil - olive oil is too strong. Grapeseed oil is good and good for you. I use it for many things. Here's a little bit about it: Grapeseed oil is believed to reduce bad cholesterol in the arteries. It has a very light taste and can be used just as you use olive oil in cooking. In some cases, grapeseed oil is preferable to olive oil because it has an even higher smoke point (can withstand hotter temperatures). That bit about withstanding hotter temps is important. Oils can be bad for your health if they break down during cooking. Just about every grocery store carries it now. When I first started using it, I could only find it at Whole Foods.
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- one head of romaine lettuce - it must be romaine - that's the law
- Parmesan cheese
- croutons - it's customary, but not absolutely necessary
- a blender
Putting it all together:
In the still, that is, not blending, blender add:
- egg yolk
- lemon juice
- red wine vinegar
- anchovies
- garlic
- some salt
Let it all sit a second, just for good measure - you know - to annihilate any aliens (that ought a fake out Googlers) that might be in that egg.
During this time you can measure out the oil into a measuring cup that has a pouring wedge. I don't know if wedge is the correct name but it's a little wedge on the rim so you can pour liquids cleanly from it. I'm sure it has a name. Every little thing has a name. If it's spout, then I shall have to protest because a spout is what you have on a watering can. Anyhow, this is very helpful, actually necessary, because you'll be pouring a very thin stream of oil.
OK. That's enough time to destroy every alien (gotcha Googlers) in there.
Now comes the crucial part - adding the oil. It's not hard, but you can't rush this. If your blender cover has a removable center portion, that's good, because you want it covered so everything doesn't spatter all over the place, but you also need an opening from which to pour in the oil while its blending. Most all blender covers have this feature. I haven't seen every blender in existence but the ones I have seen do have it.
- Start the blender - on high or medium. I guess it depends on how powerful your motor is. I don't think it needs to be at warp speed, but it shouldn't be the slowest either.
- Remove the center portion or the cover. Actually, after that long spiel, I don't think it'll make a mess without the cover. Once the liquid in there starts whirling around at a steady state, there's very little spattering going on.
- Start pouring the oil in - VERY VERY SLOWLY - the stream of oil should be so thin that it's almost alternating between a stream and drops. THAT slow.
The chef explained to me that it's very important that you start off very slowly or you will not get the desired creaminess, the emulsion. Emulsions are a type of colloid. Colloids are interesting. Well, you might not think so but I do.
Also, watch where the oil falls into the blender. Position your cup so the oil is going into the area that's spinning the fastest, closest to the center, the blender blade. This may not make any difference at all but I'm a bit of a fanatic about doing things in an optimal manner. OK, I'm a bloody perfectionist. Imagine how much anguish my newly retarded brain causes me. This is not something I can easily accept, thus the frequent bitching and moaning. It's like driving an Enzo Ferrari all your life then having to adjust to a Yugo...
OK, keep the steady stream of oil going. You may slowly increase the stream. You'll notice the liquid will start getting more opaque, white - and thicker. This is colloidal magic. Slowly increase the stream until it's about 1/4 inch wide.
After all the oil is in there, you're done. It doesn't take a very long time. Stop the blender. Taste for salt. Add some more if you like, then give the blender a few go-arounds to mix in the salt. Put the blender jar in the fridge. - Wash and dry the romaine lettuce leaves. I have this very neat spinner that does an excellent job when you need that lettuce, parsley, etc. to be really dry.
- Cut the romaine into large pieces. If you don't have to open your mouth really wide to eat it, then it's too small!
- Arrange the lettuce on the plate.
- If you want croutons, add those too.
- Pour the Caesar dressing over all of it.
- Coarsely grind some black pepper on top.
- Top it all off with the Parmesan cheese.
- Open wide and eat.
You can make a complete meal of this by adding grilled or sauteed chicken breast or tenders. You'll want to slice the chicken and arrange it on top of the salad.
¡Buen provecho!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: What I wrote about the acid from the vinegar and lemon killing any bacteria, specifically Salmonella, is just plain stupid! If the gastric acid in our stomachs can't kill it, no vinegar or lemon is going to kill it. DUH!
I've never had any problem with Salmonella, but you hear about it. I don't know what to tell you. Is there some Salmonella test strip around? If there isn't, that would be a very useful thing. Let me check... OK. There is. But, I have no idea if it's readily available to the public or how expensive it is. Interesting. As I recall now, I had the idea of a test strip years ago.
Alrighty then. A false sense of security is worse than no security. Let's be cautious. Damn Salmonella.
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