How To Make Caeser Salad

Excerpted From Daniel Bellino-Zwicke's up-coming New Cookbook 
"ITALIAN- AMERICAN GERATEST HITS COOKBOOK"

CAESAR SALAD

    Did you know that Caesar Salad is not really Italian? Well yes and no! The salad was created by an Italian, living in San Diego, California and working in Tijuana, Mexico. The salad that is said to be invented one day by Caesar Cardinini who was born in Italy and immigrated to the United States, settling in San Diego. I tis said that on the Fourth of July 1924, it was a very busy day with a large crowd of people at the restaurant and the place was running out of food stuffs. Cardini put together a few ingredients left in the house (the restaurant). The ingredients included; lettuce, Anchovies, eggs, bread (made in to croutons), capers, garlic, vinegar, and Parmesan Cheese. Cardini mixed then together and created the first-ever Caesar Salad. There have been many millions, maybe even into the billions of Caesar Salads served over the years. At first mostly in Italian Restaurants and Steak Houses, but nowadays in a number of restaurants, as long as they are not Asian or French, you might find a Caesar Salad. But mostly, most Americans (99%) see the Caesar Salad as Italian. I myself, thought for a number of years it was Mexican, as I thought it was invented in Tijuana, which it was, by a Mexican, which it was not. I finely found out it was invented by an Italian who immigrated to America, and this Italian Caesar Cardini invented the Caesar Salad in Tijuna Miexico.

    Italian-American Cuisine as we’ve said before is a legitimate cuisine which is based on Italian Food from Italy with minor changes here-and-there do to local foods and the abundance or availability or not of certain foods. So the famed Caesar Salad invented by an Italian from Italy who was living in the United States but invented the first Caear Salad in Mexico, “Yes The Caesar Salad is Italian-American,” Basta!

 CAESAR SALAD DRESSING & SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cloves Garlic, peeled

5 Anchovy Filets, minced

2 large Egg Yolks

2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

4 teaspoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 teaspoons Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce

½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

2/3 cup Olive Oil ( not Extra Virgin as the taste is too strong)

half cup best quality grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

1 large head Romaine Lettuce, chopped in large chunks or cut into 4 equal size wedges

½ cup store-bought or home-made croutons

1.  Place all ingredients except the olive oil and cheese in a food processor with the blade attachment. Process for 1 minute until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

2.  Slowly add the olive oil little-by-little as the processor is turn one.

3. Remove ingredients and place in a bowl. Add grated half of the cheese and mix by hand.

4.  If making your Caesar Salad with wedges, place a wedge on four separate plates, dress the lettuce wedges with the dressing and remaining cheese and top with Croutons. If using chopped lettuce, place the lettuce in a large bowl, add the dressing, toss the lettuce & dressing and mix until completely coated. Divide the dressed lettuce equally onto 4 plates, sprinkle with remaining cheese and croutons and serve.