All Hail Caesar

 

My first memories of eating out are from the 1980's, when a restaurant-quality salad was comprised of prissy watercress-heavy fare, or a mixed salad so colorful it could make even Rainbow Bright blush (carrots and radishes and cucumbers, oh my!). Jazzercise was all the rage and salads were meant to be healthy, vinaigrette dressed affairs, leaving classically heavy salads like the creamy, salty, Caesar to appear only on the menu of corner Italian joints. Its undoing was due in part to the fact that a true Caesar involves careful handling of a raw egg yolk (an enemy to pregnant women, young children and the elderly alike), and a good deal of chopped anchovies (an enemy to, well...the millions of people that hate anchovies). With the odds stacked against it, a proper Caesar seemed to wither and fade off of the collective consciousness until the late 90's when everyone and their mom discovered light dressings and the wonder of the Atkins diet (not to mention South Beach, etc...).

While the caesar salad seems to have reappeared, the salty goodness of anchovies is now conspicuously missing from the dressing, and I for one can't remember the last time an anchovy filet actually made its way onto the plate. I've tried for years to find an authentic caesar, ordering it in multiple restaurants around the city in the hopes of finding a creamy, slightly salty, cheesy, peppery and perfectly balanced one, but I've mostly been disappointed. I recently figured I might as well try it myself at home. After all, I successfully make mayonnaise and aioli's all the time using not only raw egg yolks but even a full raw egg—how much harder could this be? After some research I discovered that a common alternative Caesar salad actually makes use of a coddled egg—a technique that I have yet to master—in order to avoid using a raw yolk. So it was like a gift from the food gods when I spotted an easy recipe for a creamy Parmesan dressing in the May issue of Real Simple. I immediately thought that with a few tweaks and additions, it would make an excellent base for a Caesar dressing, saving me from the hell of coddling an egg. The recipe used sour cream as a thickening base in place of the egg, and olive oil to mellow out the flavor and texture. I switched the white wine vinegar for the more Caesar appropriate lemon juice, and kept the Parmesan cheese the same.

The additions were easy to figure out since it was mostly a matter of playing with the ratio of new ingredients and making sure to just taste it non-stop as I went along. I began with just one anchovy filet but ended up increasing it to 3 (a really good quality anchovy filet would be best here—Roland jarred anchovy filets in olive oil can't be beat). Next came the Worcestershire sauce, another pungent ingredient where a little goes a long way, and a mere teaspoon was plenty. Two medium-sized cloves of garlic were perfect, especially since I didn't have any super-seasoned croutons on hand for that garlicky punch (if you're using garlic croutons however, I'd only use one clove for the dressing).

I'd perfected the flavor but hit one major impasse: the texture was totally gross. It was lumpy and began to separate seconds after I'd mixed it. This is where the egg yolk works its fatty magic, acting as nature's perfect binder. The lack of binder here meant that the dressing would have a tough time staying together without some major help. I often use mustard as a binder but really didn't want to alter the flavor by adding another strong ingredient. I decided to try and alleviate the lumpiness first while my brain worked on a flavorless solution to the separation issue. In the end it was my stick blender that saved the day. I blended the dressing right in the bowl, adding a little bit of water and a thin stream of olive oil to thin it out slightly. And wouldn't you know, the dressing was perfectly emulsified by the time I was done blending it. It was now smooth and creamy and exactly the right consistency. Having killed two birds with one stone, I blended it again right before serving so it would be creamy with a little added lightness (getting some air into it always helps). I'm happy to report that the dressing was a hit, and I didn't miss the egg at all. So if you like caesar salad but thought it was too complicated to do at home or, like me, were wary of the egg, give this recipe a try. Serve it topped with garlicky croutons and a ton of shredded cheese, and of course, a few anchovy slices for old times sake. I promise it'll take you back in time.

(Almost) Classic Caesar Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil (NOT extra virgin)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 good quality anchovy filets, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
freshly cracked black pepper (I like at least 1/2 tsp)
1/3 cup water

1. Add sour cream to a medium sized bowl and stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly. Add lemon juice and whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients except for the water and whisk together.

2. Add 2 Tbsp of the water and blend mixture in the bowl with an immersion blender or in a standing blender. Add more water as necessary while blending to achieve desired consistency. Serve with romaine or other sturdy lettuce and top with croutons, Parmesan cheese and anchovy filets. Enjoy!

-Laura

Out Of The Blue

Imagine my surprise this weekend, when after months of dedication to visiting the farmer's market (despite repeated disappointment), I came across something I'd been looking for all year. For some reason, this winter season was a surprisingly barren one, at least where local produce was concerned, and although I visited the market nearly every week, I never found the hearty winter greens that I'd seen in previous years. This weekend however, well into spring and on the hottest day of the year (at the time), I finally came across what I'd been seeking for five very cold months. Miraculously hidden amongst the new spring vegetation were fall and winter veggies. Like my own culinary "Where's Waldo?", I ran from stall to stall picking apart each box and display until I uncovered the welcome surprise of everything from kale and lettuces to spinach and broccoli rabe. I filled my canvas bag to the brim and happily toted home my long awaited purchases.

It wasn't until I got home that I realized how rusty I was. All these months on the bench had left me without any innovative ideas for my new ingredients. Well, except for the kale which will now and forever be used to make crispy kale chips, the culinary discovery of the year (at least at my house). So, I put my game face on and started doing some serious foodie research. I love simply sauteed broccoli rabe as much as the next girl, but it was time to add some kind of a twist. It turns out people don't seem to actually do much with these little guys but toss them in pasta, so I was in a bit of a quandary. Finally I saw a recipe that included them in a pasta dish with a spicy anchovy sauce, so I decided to eliminate the pasta and apply the sauce directly to the veg. I love salty, bitter goodness, and this recipe was a perfect combination of both--a good heap of bitterness from the broccoli rabe (also called rapini) and delicious salty bite from the anchovies. But don't be afraid, they're not overpowering and are even a bit difficult to identify specifically.

It's actually quite the easy side dish, since all you need to do is blanch the broccoli rabe and dissolve all of the sauce ingredients in a non-stick pan. It's important to remember however that the broccoli rabe needs to be dried thoroughly before it's added to the sauce. My first go round had too much residual moisture and led to a super soggy and watery sauce (there was definitely no identifying the anchovies there). So for my second try, I made sure to dry them and let the bunches sit on a bed of paper towels to catch any extra water that may have been clinging on to the greens. As for the sauce's flavor, it's easy to up the heat ante, or leave it out entirely. I like spicy, garlicky broccoli rabe, so I put in a good helping of both garlic and red pepper flake. This would be great with butter as well, but I'm trying to eat on the slightly lighter side, so I went with only extra virgin olive oil, but a nice olive oil/butter combination would be super tasty, and definitely something I'd consider if I were to cook for company. I also added a few tablespoons of capers for an extra hit of sour pucker. Again, it'd be just as tasty without this, so if you want a slightly milder flavor, leaving these out would be a perfectly justifiable move. Here's my final recipe, alter it at your own will.

Broccoli Rabe With Spicy Anchovy Caper Sauce

1 bunch (about a pound) broccoli rabe
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tin anchovies (rinsed and drained)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp red pepper flake (or more for very spicy)
3 tsp capers
freshly cracked pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and blanch broccoli rabe until tender-crisp (about 5 minutes). Remove from water and dry well. Place on a bed of paper towels to remove any excess moisture.

2. Meanwhile, combine olive oil, garlic, anchovies and red pepper flake in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook until anchovies are dissolved and garlic is fragrant. Add capers and dried broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Cook together for 1 minute and serve. Enjoy!

-Laura

Lazy Dinner

I'm still not sure how some dishes come together. There are some weeks filled with planning, trips to the farmers market and endless stops at the spice market. Food for the whole week is planned and my fridge is covered with layer upon layer of post-its and recipe ideas that I'll be testing Monday through Friday, trying to figure out exactly what to do to make them perfect. Other meals come about from surveying what I have in the fridge and flipping through a cookbook for inspiration (thanks for doing the real work Martha!). But after weeks of effort and meticulous meal planning, sometimes all I want to do to pull dinner together is throw a few things in a pot and pray that they work.

Last night's meal came together exactly in that way. I'd been craving a few truly random ingredients (anchovies, spaghetti, and buttered breadcrumbs), and wondered aloud if perhaps I could mold these cravings into something tasty and easy that might help me clean out my fridge and pantry before a big supermarket shopping trip later in the week. So, after some research I found a few recipes that contained such ingredients, including a baked pasta and one topped with buttered breadcrumbs. Then I noticed an olive-caper-anchovies sauce and thought that perhaps I could combine some of those ingredients with the breadcrumbs to make a crunchy and super simple sauce. I didn't have any olives, but I always have capers and anchovies in my fridge, so I decided to take a tip from another recipe and smash the anchovies and capers in my mortar and pestle. This created a paste that I could dissolve in some hot olive oil with shallots and garlic.

I decided to take all of those ingredients and create an anchovy-caper breadcrumb that I could quickly toss with some olive oil coated spaghetti. I added some red pepper flake for a little heat, which went really well with the anchovies, which mellow out when cooked and dissolved in the olive oil. The capers gave the crumble and nice tartness to cut through the slight sweetness of the other ingredients. It didn't even need any salt because of the salinity of all the other ingredients. It all came together super fast, in fact it was done before the pasta was done cooking. It satisfied all of my cravings and tasted great. Not to mention, it gave me another go-to lazy dinner dish for those days when I haven't planned anything at all but still want something tasty. And don't fear the anchovies, their flavor is greatly transformed, so much so that you wouldn't even identify them from the flavor of the final dish. Here's the final recipe.

Spaghetti with Anchovy-Caper Breadcrumbs

1/2 package dried spaghetti (enough for 2 people)
1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp drained anchovies (that's 3/4 of the contents of a 2 oz anchovy tin)
1 medium shallot (or small onion), diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted, boiling water. Meanwhile, mash anchovies and capers in a mortar and pestle (or on a plate with a fork) and set aside.

2. In a non-stick skillet, cook shallot and garlic in olive oil until soft. Mash with a fork or potato masher, then lower the heat and add the red pepper flakes along with anchovy-caper mixture, stirring often until incorporated, about 3 minutes.

3. Add breadcrumbs and increase heat to medium. Toss mixture often until breadcrumbs are toasted and browned. Add drained pasta and drizzle with more olive oil. Toss to coat and serve. Enjoy!

-Laura

The Tiniest Fish in the Sea

Did you know that anchovies are good for your health? It's true! These little guys are riddled with healthy omega-3 fatty acids and they're really low in calories. No wait, I know what you're thinking--"But Laura, those little stinkers are smelly and salty. I hate them. Always have, always will." Well, this is the recipe that will bring you over to the dark side my friend. These little guys are more than the world's least popular pizza topping. They're also good for dressings (Cesar is a classic one) and my favorite application, sauces. They're also a much healthier and natural way of salting your food.

Like so many things we keep in our pantry's, anchovies have improved vastly over the years and no longer come packed only in salt or brine. I really like the ones that come in pure extra virgin olive oil because they're far less salty, and if you can find them jarred instead of canned you can keep them in the fridge if you haven't used the whole jar. The reason most people are frightened of anchovies is because they haven't actually tasted them cooked, they've just had them out of a tin barely even rinsed. When they're cooked through and dissolved though, especially in butter or olive oil like in this recipe, they take on a much smoother, almost nutty flavor. As a matter of fact, you may have had them in a sauce at a restaurant and not have noticed--it's that vast a difference in flavor. Ha! So there, now you have no excuses.

And as a plus, you can make this dish with any leftover vegetables you have. I had some green beans and mushrooms on their last legs so I decided to make a nice wheat pasta dish with them, but feel free to use asparagus, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, olives, peas, whatever you have hanging out in your crisper or freezer. Now, you'll notice in the recipe that there is quite a bit of fat. Don't freak out, the olive oil and butter along with the anchovies make up all of the sauce, so it's not so bad. Trust me, this dish is GREAT on a summer day with a few extra lemon wedges and lemon zest. This makes for one BIG solo serving, so feel free to multiply. And you won't notice the anchovies. And neither will your friends--so don't tell them until they've licked their plates :) Here's how to go about fooling them:

Spaghetti with Vegetables and Anchovy Butter

Spaghetti
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 cups green beans (I chopped long beans)
4 Tbsp Olive oil
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
1/2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
salt
pepper (I prefer white pepper if you have it!)

1. Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook until done.

2. While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil, butter, garlic, anchovies and red pepper flake to a medium sized pan. When it starts to heat through and bubble add the mushrooms and green beans. Salt lightly if needed and add pepper, thyme and sage. If it starts to look dry and some oil or butter a Tablespoon at a time.

3. When the vegetables are almost all cooked through, add pasta to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes so flavors combine. If it looks dry, add some of the pasta water. Plate and top with parsley and red pepper flake. Drizzle some raw olive oil on top. Enjoy!

**Tip: Don't drain your pasta in a colander. Use tongs or a slotted spoon (tongs are better!) to add pasta to your final cooking vessel, and always cook the pasta with the sauce for a few minutes. If it needs some more liquid, your nice starchy cooking liquid will not have gone to waste and you can add some by the spoonful.

-Laura