Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1 to 2 finely chopped or minced garlic cloves with inner green germ removed)
1 anchovy fillet, mashed
Pinch of salt
Juice of one lemon
3 drops Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup low-fat or reduced fat mayonnaise
2 to 3 tablespoons water (to achieve desired thickness)
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano), divided
Romaine lettuce, hearts and tender leaves only
Coarsely ground black pepper

Procedure:

Use only good-quality Spanish or Portuguese anchovies in your dressing. Anchovy paste may be substituted (approximately two inches squeezed from the tube will provide the equivalent taste of one anchovy fillet). Fresh lemon juice is essential. Some chefs squeeze the lemon through a cheesecloth to ensure that only the juice ends up in the salad. If you are careful to keep the lemon seeds out of the salad, a simple squeeze will do. You can cut the fat even more if you use fat-free mayonnaise. I personally like using the light or reduced fat mayonnaise as it gives better flavor.

To make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy, and salt until blended. Whisk in the lemon juice, Worchestshire sauce, mayonnaise, and water. When the dressing is well combined and to the desired thickness you wish, whisk in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

To assemble salad: Separate the Romaine leaves and discard the coarse outer leaves. Wash, drain, and pat with paper towels or spin dry the remaining leaves. Note: Lettuce should be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. Tear into bite-size pieces and set aside.

In a large salad bowl, add the Romaine lettuce pieces and the dressing, a little at a time; toss until coated. Note: I usually don’t need to use all the dressing. To serve: Divide the salad between chilled salad plates and sprinkle each salad with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and coarsely ground pepper. Serve immediately with chilled forks. Makes 6 medium-size salads.