From Season 8 Mexico - One Plate at a Time
A lot of people don’t know that the world’s most famous salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico, back in the 1920s by Cesare (Caesar) Cardini, an Italian immigrant who’d opened a restaurant there. In the 1920s Tijuana had almost overnight transformed from a dusty little border town into a grand getaway city of spas, casinos, racetracks and night life. Prohibition throughout the United States was, after all, in full force. Caesar’s restaurant served their tableside salads to herds of guests for decades, before eventually changing hands and dwindling in popularity. Back in the early 2000s, the region’s most famous chef, Javier Plascencia, restored Caesar’s to its former glory, including this glorious salad. This is the way they make the original Caesar salad.
INGREDIENTS
- A half of a long baguette, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, brushed with olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 canned anchovies
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup good-quality olive oil
- 4 romaine hearts (36 leaves)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Mexican queso añejo or other garnishing cheese such as Romano or Parmesan,
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet and bake until well browned and crisp, about 10 minutes.
In a very large bowl, mash the garlic into a paste using either the back of a fork or a wooden spatula. Add the anchovies and lime juice and mash them to a paste with the garlic. Mix in the mustard, then the Worcestershire and finally the egg yolk. Slowly drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream into the base, whisking with the fork as you add it, until it comes together as a light dressing. Pour half the dressing into a jar, cover and refrigerate. Add the romaine leaves to the remaining dressing and toss to coat.
Arrange 6 romaine leaves on each of the 6 chilled plates. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and garnish with a toasted croutons.
