Caesar dressing is one of my favorite things, especially if I want a salad as a full meal. Here it is funked up with some spicy mustard and Worcestershire sauce. The croutons are homemade from stale bread, and they mingle perfectly with hard boiled eggs and sundried tomatoes (a greek delicacy which you buy in a jar).
Quantities given are a guideline for 2 generous portions.
Boil the eggs for 10 minutes in a pot, submerge in cold water immediately and when cool place on the bench, crash the shell all around with your palm, and peel. Cut them in quarters or thin slices, or even shred them in very small pieces with your hands - 2 pcs
Cut the stale bread in small bite sizes and place in a bowl. Cover them in olive oil and salt them. Heat a nonstick pan over high heat and dry the bread until you have a nice dark colour on all sides - 1 cup
Cut the sundried tomatoes in small pieces - 6 pcs
Wash the lettuce leaves in cold water with some vinegar and dry them well. Roll the leaves in a bunch and cut them in 1 cm stripes - 1 small pc
Cut some spring onions, white and green parts, diagonally in thin stripes - 3 pcs
So far so good. Now for the dressing, in a bowl place:
Garlic, 1 big clove, minced
Anchovy fillets, 2 pcs, smashed to a paste either in a pestle and mortar, or with the body of your chef's knife
Mustard, spicy, 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp
Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tbsp
Mayonnaise, 1/2 cup
Using a whisk mix everything together to a smooth paste. Start adding Olive Oil in a steady stream while whisking continuously until you reach the desired consistency, it shouldn't be too thin, but it should be thin enough to serve as a dressing. For the above quantities I used about 1/2 cup. Finally mix in:
Parmesan, grated, about 1/3 cup
This ingredient analogy will result in a rather acidic and tart flavour which is my kind of taste. Use less vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce if you are aiming for a smoother flavour.
Mix the lettuce leaves with the spring onion and sundried tomatoes and place on a platter. Generally speaking you should start serving your salads on platters. Bowls do them great injustice. Place the eggs and croutons on top and pour over the dressing.
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