I don't know what it is, but there's just nothing like an excellent Cæsar salad. Even though I suspect the horrors that live in one of Lovecraft's murky submerged cities may have invented the stuff, since anchovies are an integral part of its flavor.
Prep time: about ½ hour.
Yield: about 16 ounces.
Est. cost: about $6.
Today's Specimen
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. fresh garlic
- 2 tbsp. anchovie paste
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ⅔ cup (roughly three) artichoke hearts
- ½ cup sharp, hard asiago cheese, finely grated
- ½ tsp. capers
- ¼ cup (about one medium) fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp. sour cream
- ¼ tsp crushed peppercorns
Directions
- In a food processor blend the artichoke hearts, garlic cloves, and capers in the olive oil. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, except for the cheese, and whisk a little until it's all combined fairly uniformly, then pour in the food processor ingredients and continue whisking until it's a smooth, creamy, uniform mixture.
- Add the cheese a quarter cup at a time and whisk into the dressing until it's all thoroughly blended in.
- Refrigerate for at least an hour or two before serving.
Next Time in the Lab
Heh! Pretty good! A tad on the tangy side, though, and I imagine a lot of people would consider it too fishy. Wusslings.
- Try reducing the capers to a quarter teaspoon or a third of a teaspoon to cut down some of the bite.
- Reduce the anchovie paste used to four teaspoons for people who balk at the briney blue aspect of the dressing's flavor.
