Carmine's Caesar Salad Dressing

Back in January I bookmarked a recipe for Caesar salad dressing on the blog, Little Brown Pen. The description of the flavor sounded great, and the provenance of the recipe (Carmine's) was trustworthy. One of the reasons that a Caesar dressing caught my eye is because one of our favorite local restaurants, Dino, serves an excellent Caesar salad, which they make with a combo of romaine lettuce and raw lacinato kale. It's a simple, but surprising twist on a classic. The kale adds some complexity (and nutrients!) to your average Caesar, and it's a good strong leaf to hold up to a thick, garlic-y dressing like this.

My husband made this dressing and our own kale-romaine salad, and it was delicious. Note that the recipe makes a lot of dressing: I think we dressed at least four salads with it over the course of a week. Also, it really does thicken up and get better, so make it in advance, if you can.

Carmine’s Caesar Dressing

6 anchovy fillets
3 cloves of garlic (I used five because I loooove garlic)
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
juice of one small lemon
1 cup of olive oil
8 tablespoons of romano cheese (I’ve used parmesan a few times)
1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a blender or food processor, puree the 6 anchovy fillets. Add the garlic and blend until well mixed. Add the egg yolks and blend for about 2 minutes. Turn off the motor, add the vinegar and lemon juice, and pulse the mixture for 20 seconds. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until incorporated. Add the cheese, parsley and oregano, and pulse the mixture for ten seconds. Season with salt and pepper and chill for at least four hours. Chilling the dressing thickens it and helps it adhere to the lettuce.