Michael Villalpando's Caesar salad
The man, the myth, the legend- as he likes to call himself. Haha no seriously- he likes to call himself “legend”. But to be honest, I can’t argue with that statement. The man has thousands and thousands of stories- all crazier than the last one. Most of them are true. Haha. If you haven’t seen the movie Big Fish, you should! The main character reminds me of my dad a little. All of his wild stories and adventures sound a lot like my dad’s.My dad used to tell my sister and me bedtime stories…he would make them up as he went along. The character was always about Billy. No matter what his name was Billy. Seriously dad? You had two girls! What about Billie, or Roxy or Sophie? I digress.But every time he told that story about Billy the bird, Billy the giraffe, Billy the rat, Rebecca and I were hanging on his every word. I still remember the stories about Billy- all of them- and even though they were wild and a little far fetched, we still know them and love them.My dad still tells stories and like I said, most of them are true! But every time we still give him a look with our eyes like, “ Really? Or are you making that up?” So years ago when I finally asked, “So how did you learn how to make this Caesar salad?” His answer was… far fetched. Are you surprised?“Ah yeah, I learned how to make this in Tijuana.”“Huh? No you didn’t!”“Yeah, me and Armand ( my Nino) woke up in Tijuana once. We were hungry so this chef took pity on us and taught us how to make this Caesar salad.”“Sure you did…”Well, turns out the man is right! Ugh, of course he is!! While not sure how he came to learn this salad- I know it is absolutely my favorite salad. Ever.And there is a special technique he has down to making it. Enjoy this salad and the legendary man behind it.
Michael Villalpando's Caesar salad
2 heads of romaine lettuce
4-6 anchovy filets
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3 shakes of Worcestershire
2 eggs
Juice of 1- 2 lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
First, finely chop the garlic almost into a paste and place into a small mixing bowl. Then chop the anchovy filets the same way, very finely and almost into a paste. You could also use the back of a knife to push down on the cutting board to create a paste.
Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire and olive oil together.
Now time to coddle the eggs!
Boil water in a small pot, once it is boiling, gently place the egg/eggs in for 1 minute 20 seconds.
Right when the timer beeps, immediately immerse the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking. Allow the eggs to cool for 30 seconds so they are cool enough to handle.
Crack the eggs directly into the dressing you have so far, using a small spoon to scoop out any remaining egg white in the egg shell.
Whisk together and then add in the juice of the lemon last. Use your tasting preferences to decide it you prefer it more tangy! More tang= more lemon!
Finish it off with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Toss the chopped ands chilled romaine lettuce in this delicious dressing and finish it off with a little Parmesan cheese.
With Love + salt