Romaine à la Caesar is the real deal. The romaine couldn’t be more fresh – it was cut from our garden this morning. The garden is always a surprise. Last year, only a couple of floppy heads of romaine reluctantly appeared. So this year I over-planted, with middling expectations, but happily, we had great success this season – every little seedling grew into a big, beautiful, perfectly erect romaine plant. The problem being that I ended up with a surfeit of romaine all at once. When I think of romaine lettuce, I think Caesar salad, of course. But then I think again – do I really want to mix up the dressing with a raw egg? It’s probably no big deal because we only buy farm fresh eggs, but sometimes I’m looking for something that’s authentic tasting, without that raw egg. This is it.
At first, as a nod to all of the recipes I’ve been reading lately that involve grilling fresh greens, I charred the romaine. A smoky char can only enhance the experience, right? I didn’t start with the grill, I started with a cast iron pan on the stovetop. I did get a nice char, but it was at the expense of the texture; the beautiful romaine became limp and lifeless. I charred the romaine to death! The fate of the romaine on the grill was no better. I decided that lovely fresh green romaine should be give a chance to be itself in all of it’s crisp glory. So no char today.
Back to the Caesar dressing. This Romaine a la Caesar is so quick and easy to pull together, especially because I typically make the dressing in advance. I use mayo in lieu of the raw egg. Before you tell yourself, NO, THAT’S NOT RIGHT!, consider trying this recipe. It is incredibly pungent and balanced. If you’re looking for fresh, this salad is so fresh. If you’re looking for garlicky croutons, this salad is topped with garlicky charred sourdough croutons (ah – there’s the char!). If you’re looking for the salty punch of shaved hard cheese, this salad is garnished with shaved Parm. And if you’re looking for the garlicky, mustardy, anchovy-laced pungency of Caesar dressing, that’s exactly what you’ll get. So simple.
Romaine à la Caesar
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 2 anchovies (packed in oil)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 t Dijon mustard
- 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
- 1 T grated Parmesan
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
SALAD
- 2 heads romaine
GARNISH
- shaved Parmesan
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- olive oil, salt, and pepper (for tossing the croutons)
Instructions
- Mix the dressing – Microwave the anchovies for a couple of seconds to soften them, then smash them into a paste. Add the anchovy paste to a bowl with the rest of the dressing ingredients, and mix well.
- Make the croutons and shave the cheese – Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss the cubes with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and toast in your air fryer until they're charred on the edges. Shave the Parmesan.
- Prep the romaine – Cut each head of Romaine in half and cut off the core ends. I like serving a stack of romaine leaves rather than chopped romaine, but it's up to you.
- Assemble each salad – Place each Romaine half on an individual serving plate, cut side up, or if using chopped romaine, fill a bowl. Spread a schmear for whole leaves) or a dollop (for chopped leaves) of dressing on top of the lettuce, and top with shaved Parmesan and toasted sourdough croutons.
Notes
If you’re looking for a Caesar variation that uses kale instead of romaine and that entails making a classic Caesar dressing in the serving bowl, check out my Garden Kale Caesar Salad recipe.