A Caesar Salad, do with it what you will
if you're David, you're gonna wrap it
Hello and welcome to Home Movies Tuesday! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
Happy 3rd DAVID’S BIRTHDAY EPISODE to all who celebrate.
If you’re unfamiliar with our cheeky little Home Movies tradition, every year for his birthday, David picks one recipe he wants me to make. As a person who doesn’t really otherwise take requests, this really does feel like a gift (to David).
With the exception of Amatriciana, which is one of my favorite foods, David likes to pick things he knows I wouldn’t really do on my own, I say “no,” he says “but it’s my birthday,” and from there, we compromise. A real peek into our dynamic!
He says “Fried Chicken Sandwich,” I say fried chicken with the option of making a sandwich. He says “Chicken Caesar Wrap,” I say Caesar Salad with the option to make it a wrap. This is friendship, and this is…I guess….a Chicken Caesar Wrap.
If you, like me, are horrified by wraps conceptually (too much touching of the food), know that the following recipe for Almost Classic Caesar Salad is yours to do whatever you like. Use it for a salad (classic!), spoon it over roasted vegetables, sliced raw tomatoes while you still can, ,
The dressing is creamy without being thick or mayo-y in texture, it’s punchy with mustard, garlic and anchovy and salty with that sweet, sweet Worcestershire. The dressing is classic in all the right ways with the exception of leaving out the cheese (because I don’t like a clumpy dressing and prefer it showered over the whole salad instead), so I leave the rest to you. Crouton vs. breadcrumb (breadcrumbs are just tiny, tiny croutons), romaine vs. Little Gem vs. bitter greens vs. a bowl of thinly sliced celery (all are perfect actually), more anchovies on top or not (more on top) are your own battles to fight.
Thank you to our friends at Oscar Mayer for sponsoring this weeks’ episode! Oscar Mayer Classic Wieners are the ones that started it all, but there's a NEW DOG in town: introducing 100% all beef franks (!). Perfectly seasoned with garlic and paprika, these dogs are made with only beef (as advertised), and are, frankly, delicious. I simply could not imagine grilling and/or chilling without them. Get your own hot dogs here.
Almost Classic Caesar Salad
serves 4
This Caesar dressing is classic in the list of ingredients, but as we know, Caesar dressings can seriously range from almost mayo-y, to barely a vinaigrette. This one is creamy without being heavy, and punchy without preventing you from eating the whole bowl. Of course, there are anchovies, but capers are a legit good stand-in here.
Depending on how much salad you’re making and how wet you enjoy those leaves, this recipe for the dressing may make more than you need, but great news: it keeps well in the fridge for a few days. It’s good in a glass, good on green(s), good for dipping raw carrots and celery. If you’re eating meat, chicken and anchovies are a gorgeous match, so you know it belongs spooned over a seared chicken breast, greens optional (scroll down for instructions on how to…wrap it, I guess).
For the Dressing:
2 large egg yolks
6 anchovy filets or 2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated on a microplane
1 teaspoon dijon mustard, plus more
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce, plus more
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
For the Breadcrumbs and Assembly:
3–4 tablespoons olive oil
4 anchovy filets, plus more for serving
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated on a microplane
1 large head romaine or 2-3 heads little gems, tougher outer leaves removed, ends trimmed, leaves torn or cut into large pieces
A hunk of parmesan for shaving or grating
1. For the dressing:
Whisk the yolks, anchovies, capers, garlic, mustard and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Gently whisk in the olive oil and canola oil, without worrying anything is going to break— it won’t. Think of this as a thick vinaigrette, not a thin mayonnaise/aioli.
2. Add a teaspoon of Worcestershire and decide if you want more of that, or maybe more mustard (I always do). Season with salt, and so much black pepper it really ought to be in the recipe name. The dressing should be very acidic and again, less on the creamy scale. If you find it too punchy, whisk in a few tablespoons of canola (or olive) oil.
3. For the breadcrumbs and assembly:
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies, stirring just to melt. Add the panko and stir to coat in the oil. Keep tossing or stirring until the panko is evenly coated and turning a nice golden brown, the color of perfect toast, about 4 or 5 minutes; remove from heat, add garlic and toss in the warm crumbs, just to take the edge off.
4. Remove breadcrumbs from heat and season with salt and pepper; let them cool before dressing your salad.
5. Toss half the dressing onto your bowl of torn leaves and season with more dressing, salt, or pepper. Shower with cheese and bread crumbs, tossing to encourage both to settle into the nooks and crannies and, if you’re me, top with more anchovies.
BONUS, For the Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap:
All of the above
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil
More anchovies!
2 large tortillas, lavash, or whatever you use to wrap things in, idk
6. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet (use the same skillet you did the breadcrumbs in, if available), heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then slice chicken into strips if you’re going David-style, or shred it with your hands if you’re going Alison-style.
7. In a large bowl, toss lettuce with dressing until everything is well-coated and perfectly dressed, then chop the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Gently warm the tortilla or wrap vessel of your choosing over the stove for a few seconds on each side. Top with dressed lettuce, slices of chicken, a few more anchovies, grated cheese, and breadcrumbs, making sure you leave a border between the fillings and the edge of the tortilla so as not to overfill (rookie mistake!). Fold in two sides of the tortilla, then gently roll the wrap away from you (like a burrito), making sure everything stays tucked in as you go. Cut in half so you can show all your friends.
This is an All-Clad household, and for frying breadcrumbs (or making omelets, crispy rice, etc.) I always find myself reaching for my little nonstick—currently on sale for a great price for a set of two.
These anchovies are really excellent for both cooking and eating raw. They’re delicious, meaty, and word on the street is they’re the exact same product that a lot of brands sell, without the brand name mark-up (aka, they are pretty affordable).
If you’d like to match David and me, the denim shirt I’m wearing is Nili Lotan—on sale here, and a similar style from J. Crew on sale here. This one is cute, too.
Funniest video ever! Happy Birthday, David. :)
HBD David!
The panko bread crumbs are a great idea!