Veni, vidi, veggie. . .
Quick and Easy Caesar
© Frank Ford, 2001; Photos by FF

At my house, few comestibles are held in higher regard than a good stout Caesar salad.

If you're the type of pizza eater who says, "Hold the anchovies," then you probably aren't a candidate for this nasty little recipe. Here's how I go about making up a passable fresh dressing with a minimum of hassle. As this sort of thing goes, it's not even all that unhealthy, provided you ignore the sodium content listed on the anchovy can.


The ingredients. Anchovies, lemon, egg, and garlic.


Years ago I saw Martin Yan demonstrate on TV how to take care of this little fellow. . .


You just wind up and smack it HARD with the flat blade of a heavy knife.


Then, the garlic slips right out of its skin.


And right into the food processor. Two cloves for the hardy hard driving garlic loving souls. One is usually enough for me.


Then a bit of lemon juice. I squeeze in half a lemon, leaving the other half for taste "adjustment" if necessary.


Then an egg, leaving the shell behind, of course. . .

And, the entire contents of the anchovy can.


I really like this teeny food processor. It's so easy to clean up.


Zap! And the job's done.


A quick taste, and then back for more lemon juice if needed. We don't like the dressing to acidic, so this is the sensitive part. (As if anything can be sensitive with a whole can of anchovies dumped in.)

I used to laugh at these little lettuce spinners until I found one for 50 cents at a garage sale. Now, I wouldn't live without one.

Pouring the whole thing on a big head of Romaine lettuce makes for a nice industrial strength Caesar salad. If we're having guests, we'll add some water to the dressing and use two heads of Romaine. That makes for a slightly tamer salad suitable for company.

Some grated paramecium cheese (I've been using that pun for about 40 years now) is a nice touch. Again, for guests, I like to have some croutons (notice that I resisted calling them "cretins" like I usually do) to serve on the side.

Because I've washed up and have been handling all these ingredients already, I have no problem with "hand tossing" the salad. I spill less this way, too.

These days, lots of folks add special protein items like chicken and shrimp. It's important to put shrimp on top rather than to mix 'em in because you want to get credit for each one , and they look more impressive on top.

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