Whole Leaf Caesar Salad Food

CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Put the whole romaine leaves in a work bowl. Add enough of the dressing to coat the leaves and toss well. Arrange the leaves in a serving bowl with their tips up, and intersperse the pizzetta's, if desired. Sprinkle the Parmesan over all.
• Place the egg yolk, mustard, anchovies, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce into a salad bowl. Blend with whisk and then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until it is fully incorporated. If the dressing stops gets too thick, add the warm water and then continue until all the oil is added. Add the cheese and continue to blend.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Stir the garlic into the tapenade. Separate the ready made/store bought pizza dough into 1 1/2-ounce pieces and roll them out to 1/8-inch (if possible, roll out to desired thickness by using a pasta machine). Cover the top of the rolled out dough with olive paste and garlic mixture. Sprinkle the thyme on top. Lay the pecorino on top of pizzetta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bake the pizza for 15 minutes or until light brown (a cracker like thinness and texture). Let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

JULIA'S CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Preparing the salad components:
• You will probably need 2 large heads of romaine for 3 people - or use a commercially prepared package of "romaine hearts," if they appear fresh and fine. From a large head remove the outside leaves until you get down to the cone where the leaves are 4 to 7 inches in length - you'll want 6 to 8 of these leaves per serving. Separate the leaves and wash them carefully to keep them whole, roll them loosely in clean towels, and keep refrigerated until serving time. (Save the remains for other salads - fortunately, romaine keeps reasonably well under refrigeration.
• To flavor the croutons, crush the garlic clove with the flat of a chef's knife, sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and mince well. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic and mash again with the knife, rubbing and pressing to make a soft purée.
• Scrape the purée into the frying pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and warm over low-medium heat. Add the croutons and toss for a minute or two to infuse them with the garlic oil, then remove from the heat. (For a milder garlic flavor, you can strain the purée though a small sieve into a pan before adding the extra croutons. Discard the bits of garlic.)
• To coddle the egg, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer. Pierce the large end of the egg with a pushpin to prevent cracking, then simmer for exactly 1 minute.
• Mixing and serving the Caesar:
• Dress the salad just before serving. Have ready all the dressing ingredients and a salad fork and spoon for tossing.
• Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the romaine leaves and toss to coat, lifting the leaves from the bottom and turning them towards you, so they tumble over like a wave. Sprinkle them with a generous pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, toss once or twice, then add the lemon juice and several drops of the Worcestershire, and toss again. Taste for seasoning, and add more, if needed.
• Crack the egg and drop it right on the romaine leaves, then toss to break it up and coat the leaves. Sprinkle on the cheese, toss briefly, then add the croutons (and the garlicky bits in the pan, if you wish) and toss for the last time, just to mix them into the salad.
• Arrange 6 or more leaves in a single layer on individual plates, scatter the croutons all around, and serve.

BABY LEAF SALAD WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Lay the bacon on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crisp. Dry on paper towels and large dice.
• For the dressing, place the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube (as though you were making mayonnaise) and process until thick. Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and pulse 3 times.
• Toss the lettuce with enough dressing to moisten well. Divide the lettuce among 4 plates. With a very sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan into large shards and arrange them on the lettuce. Sprinkle the diced bacon over the salad and serve.

KALE CAESAR SALAD

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Toss in 2 cloves garlic and the red pepper flakes and bring the pan to medium heat. Cook the garlic until it becomes golden and very aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the garlic and ditch it - it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Toss in the bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until they are golden, crisp and have absorbed all the oil, like little olive oil sponges. Remove from the heat and reserve.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parmigiano, lemon zest and juice, the remaining 1 to 2 cloves garlic, the mustard, anchovies and Worcestershire sauce. Puree until the mixture is smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. With the machine running, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube. Let the processor continue to run another 10 to 15 seconds. Taste and season with salt if needed.
• In a large bowl, toss the kale with the croutons and two-thirds of the dressing. Let the kale sit 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Taste, add the remaining dressing and adjust the seasoning if needed. Top with more parmigiano.