Caesar Salad

Submitted by aeberbach

Amazing with a barbecued steak, garlic bread and a fine Pinot Noir or Shiraz. 100% different from what you find in a "Caesar Salad Kit".

Ingredients

 * 1 or 2 Cos Lettuces
 * 8-10 flat anchovies
 * 5 cloves of garlic
 * two egg yolks
 * old bread to make croutons, 2-day-old sourdough is ideal (or buy some premade croutons)
 * Salted butter - yellow European style, not white butter.
 * Parmesan, Grana Padano or Reggiano
 * Malt vinegar
 * Olive oil
 * Tabasco Sauce
 * Worcestershire Sauce

Directions
1. Peparation
 * 1) Separate leaves of lettuce and wash. Dry with a salad spinner if available. Place in your largest salad bowl in the refrigerator while you make the rest of the salad.

2. Croutons
 * 1) Cut bread into cubes, roughly 1cm a side - put breadcrumbs on your cutting board aside for use in the dressing (step 2).
 * 2) Chop four cloves of garlic
 * 3) Gently fry garlic in a pan with plenty of butter. Add bread and toss in pan over low heat until golden brown. This should take a while, as you are not just frying but drying out the croutons. When crunchy they are right. Be careful not to burn them.

3. Dressing
 * 1) Crush one clove of garlic in a bowl and add a pinch of salt.
 * 2) Add one flat anchovy and grind with the back of a spoon to make garlic and anchovy paste.
 * 3) Throw in breadcrumbs from step 1 and grind together.
 * 4) Add two egg yolks and mix.
 * 5) Add Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste, several good shakes from each bottle.
 * 6) Add a tablespoon of olive oil and stir until blended.
 * 7) Add malt vinegar to taste. More vinegar means less heat but more acid.

4. Assembly
 * 1) Chop remaining anchovies into 2cm-long pieces
 * 2) Grate enough parmesan to make about three cups
 * 3) Take lettuce from refrigerator, dump out of bowl.
 * 4) Make layers in bowl by adding salad, dressing (apply with tablespoon), croutons, anchovy bits and parmesan until all ingredients are finished.

Variations:
 * 1) Bacon is in the traditional recipe, I leave it out due to cooking for a vegetarian most of the time - if you like it, add the bacon at the assembly stage. DO NOT use cheap fatty bacon, spam, pre-cooked "bacon bits" or similar because you will taste the difference.
 * 2) Quail eggs are another great addition, often added after the salad has been plated, soft-boiled. Hen's eggs are fine too but best to quarter them since they are much larger.
 * 3) If you like the feeling of eating in bad family restaurants, add grilled chicken breast with bottled "cajun spices" shaken over it.