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Among my favorite salads is the Caesar Salad. Unfortunately, several of the people who regularly eat my cooking do not tolerate garlic well. Over time I have come up with a simple and reliable recipe for a light (not gloppy) and tasty caesar dressing entirely garlic free. (Of course, you may also add garlic to this recipe, as indicated by the optional garlic).

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups Bread, cut into 1/4″ to 1/2″ cubes
• 2-3 hearts of romaine lettuce
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil, divided
• optional3 Cloves Garlic or 1 Shallot or 1 Leek
• 1 Teaspoon mustard, dry or prepared
• 1/4 – 1/2 Teaspoon Wasabi, dry or prepared
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 Ice Cubes
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Tabasco Sauce (or similar) to taste
• optional 1 can Anchovies or 1/2 teaspoon anchovie paste
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated of shaved.

Preparation:

Pour 1/4 cup of Olive Oil into a large skillet. Season with either several slices of garlic, shallot or leek. When the oil is hot (small bubbles will form along the edge of the garlic/shallot/leek), toss in the bread cubes. Season with pepper. Sauté the croûtons until slightly crispy and a light golden-brown color. To drain the croûtons, place a heavy paper bag (like those from the grocery store) folded flat on the counter and place 2-3 sheets of paper towel on top. Dump the croûtons out onto the blotting surface and blot with another piece of paper towel. Set croûtons aside.

For the dressing, in a blender combine the remaining olive oil, egg, lemon and lime juice, ice cubes, wasabi, mustard, several shakes of tobacco, salt and pepper. If you are going to add anchovie, put it in, although I prefer my sauce without. Place either 1 clove of garlic, or roughly 1 Tablespoon of chopped shallot or leek in the sauce. If you are concerned about salmonella, you may coddle the egg (boil it) for 60 seconds before adding it. Blend the sauce on high until the ice cubes emulsify in the oil. This can take as much as 5 minutes with a lower power blender.

To prepare the salad, wash the lettuce and chop it into bite sized chunks. In a large wooden bowl, rub 1 teaspoon of salt into the wood with the garlic/shallot/leek. Put the lettuce in the bowl and add the dressing slowly, tossing the salad gently until the lettuce is coated, but not soggy. Add the majority of the croûtons and cheese, reserving a little to garnish and toss gently. Finally, garnish with the remaining croûtons and cheese.

Variation: It has been widely suggested that instead of tossing the cut up leaves with the dressing, the spears of romaine should arranged on a plate and croûtons, cheese and dressing placed on top. While this can be a nice effect, it is impractical for “summer dining” and picnics. For a main course you can add grilled chicken or shrimp.

Serving:

Serve the salad cold. If you add meat, it should generally be placed on top and not tossed in. Caesar Salad is a great picnic dish, although bringing the dressing in a separate container and tossing just before eating will help keep the lettuce crisp. Serves 6.

Pictures Soon