the legendary caesar salad is a dish of mere happenstance. caesar cardini's kitchen was barely stocked when a group of guests arrived unexpectedly at his restaurant in tijuana, mexico. he had eggs. he had parmesan, lemon, and lettuce. and he had condiments. so to elaborate, cardini added drama. he prepared the salad before them so that each guest could inhale the aroma of freshly crushed garlic, hear the crack of the eggs, and watch as fine flecks of parmesan flew from the grater. it was a grand preparation for a simple salad.

that was back in the 1920s. today, this full-flavored salad rightfully remains a hit. like the original, it takes little more than a half-dozen pantry basics to assemble. and while many recipes call for whirring together the dressing in a food processor or a blender, i've found that these modern-day conveniences can't replicate the perfectly creamy consistency you get when it's made by hand.

use a mortar and pestle or a microplane rasp for an unrivaled creamy garlic base

for the dressing, a food processor merely minces the garlic, and a blender creates a dressing the consistency of a milkshake. mashing the garlic in a mortar and pestle creates a smooth paste that makes the perfect base for this creamy dressing. the good news is that if you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can still make a similar paste on your cutting board. mince the garlic very finely and sprinkle it with coarse salt. then repeatedly drag the flat side of the blade at the knife's tip across the minced garlic to press into a paste, as in the photo at right. (if there's a green sprout in the garlic, be sure to remove it first-it won't mash well.) with a little diligence, you'll have a pretty good paste on your hands. then you can mince the anchovies right on top of the garlic, scrape them both into a bowl, and continue whisking in the rest of the ingredients. if you're lucky enough to own a microplane rasp it will do the job of mincing the garlic for you in a fraction of the time.

although a whole egg is traditionally used in this salad, i prefer to add just one yolk for more concentrated richness. if a raw egg is a safety concern for you or anyone who will be eating the salad, a yolk from a soft-boiled egg is a safe substitution. omitting the egg yolk is another option-the dressing won't be quite as rich, but it will still be delicious.

only the crisp leaves from the romaine heart will do

i like to think of the romaine heart as being more like a vegetable. its leaves hold up to the plentiful, rich caesar dressing. they'll even crunch. to get to the heart, peel away the outer layers of soft, darkgreen leaves that make up about half the head. save these leaves for a different salad another night. you'll know you're at the heart when the leaves become clutched tightly together. these leaves are crisp and hold their shape. (it's tempting to buy the pale, packaged romaine hearts at the store, but they aren't as tasty as the hearts from the whole heads.)
i also like to toss in whole leaves of flat leaf parsley. besides adding color to the salad, the fresh parsley cuts nicely through the garlic in the dressing.

caesar salad

if you don't have a large mortar and pestle, you can easily make a paste with a chef's knife or a microplane rasp. keep in mind that this is a zesty, assertive dressing that comes into balance nicely when combined with the cool, crisp romaine and salty parmesan. serves four to six.

for the croutons:

• 3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 11/2 cups torn pieces from a baguette or
  other crusty bread
• coarse salt and freshly ground black
  pepper

for the salad:

• 2 large heads romaine lettuce
• 2 small cloves garlic
• coarse salt
• 4 oil packed anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 egg yolk*
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 4 tsp.)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of tabasco or other hot sauce
• Scant 1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, preferably parmigiano reggiano
  

for the croutons, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. add the bread pieces, toss to coat, and cook, turning periodically, until golden on the outside but still tender inside, 12 to 15 min. let them cool in one layer on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

remove the outer leaves of romaine until you reach the tightly packed heart (the leaves will be much paler); set the outer leaves aside for another use. separate the leaves of the heart and slice them into pieces about 3 inches long (leave the smallest leaves whole) to yield a heaping 8 cups of loosely packed leaves. rinse and dry very thoroughly.

put the garlic and a pinch of coarse salt in a large (3-4 cup) mortar. using a pestle, pound the garlic into a creamy, juicy paste. add the anchovies, mashing until they're broken down into bits. add the yolk, working the mixture into a paste. work in the mustard and then the lemon juice. blend in a pinch of black pepper, the tabasco, and the worcestershire. switch to a whisk and drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously until blended and creamy.

put the lettuce, parsley and croutons ina large bowl. season with salt and pepper and toss. add the dressing and toss to coat thorougly. sprinkle with 2 to 3 tbs of parmesan and toss again. serve immediately with the remaining cheese on the side.

* if you're serving this to anyone with a compromised immune system replace the raw egg yolk with the yolk of a soft boiled egg, or omit the egg yolk altogether.