Traditional Caesars, made with raw eggs and croutons, can be awesome. But a traditional Caesar is a labor of love that needs to be undertaken by a person who knows what they're doing. This recipe is a foolproof way to put a delicious salad on the table--and to take the raw eggs out of the equation forsafety's sake.
Also note that the recipe calls for Hellmann's mayonnaise. Sometimes there's no substitute. The deli where Falcinelli worked as a teenaged were through hundreds of gallons every week, and when he was in his thirties, working with chef Nobu Matsuhisa, he learned that Nobu also used Hellmann's for his signature dishes. like fried rock shrimp and lobster with mayo.
Ingredients
- 3 hearts of romaine (pull away the floppiest, greenest outer leaves)
- 1/3 grated Pecorino Romano, plus additional cheese for serving
- 1/2 Hellmann's mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
- 8 turns freshly ground white pepper
- Fine sea salt, if needed
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Frankies 457 Olive Oil, for generous drizzling
Step by step
- Trim the root ends from the romaine, separates the leaves, and wash and dry them. Put the lettuce in the fridge to chill while you prepare the dressing.
- Combine 1/4 cup of the Pecorino with the remaining ingredients (except the black pepper) in a blender and puree until the dressing is smooth. (If you don’t have a blender, mince the garlic and anchovy, and whisk together with the rest of the dressing ingredients.) Taste and add salt if necessary; the cheese, Hellmann’s, Worcestershire, and anchovies are all salty, so you probably won’t need any additional salt. Loosen the dressing with water as needed starting with the prescribed 1/4 cup.
- Toss the chilled lettuce with the dressing in a large bowl. Transfer to serving plates or a serving platter and finish with a generous crowning of the remaining grated cheese and a few turns of black pepper. Serve at once.