Caesar Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 cup homemade croutons (see directions below)
1 coddled egg (see directions below)*
1 to 2 teaspoons finely-chopped garlic (1 to 2 medium cloves with inner green germ removed - the sprouts add an unpleasant bitterness)
1 to 2 anchovy fillets, mashed**
Pinch of coarse salt
2 tablespoons (1/2 lemon) freshly-squeezed lemon juice***
3 drops Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano), divided
2 to 3 heads Romaine lettuce, hearts and tender leaves only
Coarsely-ground black pepper

* Coddled egg may be substituted with 1/2 cup mayonnaise. If doing this substitution, reduce some of the olive oil. Better yet, make Linda's easy-to-make and very delicious Low-Fat Caesar Salad Dressing.

** 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). More anchovy fillets may be added according to your personal taste. To purchase Anchovies and Anchovy Paste, check out What's Cooking America's Kitchen Store.

*** Fresh squeezed 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.