Despite Rumors About the Salad

The Real Story of Caesar's Famous Salad

Despite rumors you may have heard, Julius Caesar did not invent Caesar's Salad. In fact, Caesar's Salad was the result of Prohibition. In 1924, the celebrities of Hollywood ventured south of the border for relief from the "dry" heat of L.A.

One night, when a group of the fab and famous descended on Caesar's Hotel and Restaurant in Tijuana, chef Caesar Cardini was forced to throw together an impromptu meal. In a moment of inspiration (his cupboards were almost bare) he simply threw everything in the kitchen into a bowl - eggs, romaine lettuce, garlic, Worscestershire sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil. Anchovies, already an ingrdient in Worcestershire sauce, were later added to the recipe, according to Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine.

On a recnetly broadcast NPR interview, Reichl advises that when making the true Caesar's Salad, one must do two things: first, you must leave the Romaine lettuce leaves whole so that they may be eaten with your hands (this being the way the first Caesar's Salads were eaten). Second, the dressing should not be whisked together, rather the eggs should be broken on top of the lettuce and then Parmesan cheese should be grated over the top.

The original recipe follows. It has been authenticated by Rosa Cardini, daughter of the salad's inventor

CAESAR'S SALAD

1/2 cup day-old bread, cubed
3/4 cup garlic oil, divided use
2 small heads romaine lettuce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 eggs*, coddled (boiled in the shell for 1 minute)
Juice of 2 medium lemons
8-10 drops of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. To prepare the garlic oil, place 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered, in a good quality (e.g. Extra Virgin) olive oil and let it stand at room temperature several hours or even up to 5 days.

2. To prepare croutons, pre-heat oven to 225 degrees. Toss bread cubes with 1/4 cup garlic oil and spread on a pan or baking sheet. Toss frequently and bake until golden brown, about 2 hours.

3. Wash, dry and crisp (in the refrigerator) the leaves of the romaine lettuce. Originally, Caesar left the lettuce leaves whole, and the salad was eaten with the fingers, but later he tore the outer leaves into 2-inch lengths, leaving only the small inner leaves whole, and the salad was eaten with a fork.

4. Place lettuce in a large bowl and toss with remaining 1/2 cup of garlic oil. Add salt and pepper, again tossing gently. Break the coddled eggs* over the lettuce, add lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and toss two or three times. Add croutons and cheese. Toss lightly once more.

Serves 4.

PLEASE NOTE
*Over the past few years, the threat of salmonella in barely cooked or coddled eggs has prompted many cooks to use pasteurized eggs or egg substitute or skip the egg entirely and use a heaping tablespoonful of mayonaise to simulate the consistency of the coddled egg.