Caesar Salad

With Maggie Mehaffey

It is rare today to have someone make an authentic Caesar Salad using a raw egg, but Farmer/Cook Maggie Mehaffey makes this classic recipe using raw, farm fresh eggs. They happen to be eggs that she grows and selects herself, hatched that morning in fact, and she has no fear about them being contaminated. The origin of the Caesar Salad is often told but warrants repeating here. This salad is thought to have been invented by an Italian-born Mexican named Caesar Cardini, in 1924. During the prohibition, he located his restaurant just over the border in Tijuana, Mexico to avoid prohibition restrictions. The story goes when a Fourth of July rush depleted the kitchen supplies at Cardini's, he threw these ingredients together, and soon began creating the salads tableside. About the concern for salmonella, Maggie says that the shell protects the egg inside from any bacteria. Only if an egg is cracked or improperly washed there may be a concern about introducing salmonella bacteria, if it is present, into the raw egg. Generally, it is thought that the pH level of the lemon juice will kill any bacteria. They use their own farm-fresh eggs raw with never a problem. Homemade croutons with this salad are well worth the extra effort. Just cut any nice, crusty leftover bread into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Pour little good olive oil down the sides of a mixing bowl. Smash a garlic clove and rub into the oil. Allow the garlic to infuse in the oil for a few minutes. Take out the garlic and toss in the croutons to coat with the infused oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them and turn them every so often so they don't burn! You can buy many of these ingredients at the local farmer’s market or farm stand like the Mehaffey family Farm.

Ingredients

1 large head of romaine lettuce
Parmesan or romano cheese
For the dressing:
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 fresh, squeezed lemon juice 　
3 tablespoons corn or canola oil
1 egg (we use a raw egg, but you can also "coddle," or cook the egg slightly in boiling water for about 1 minute before putting into the blender.)
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon (or so) of Grey Poupon, or your favorite spicy mustard
Anchovy paste, squeeze in about 1 1/2 inches (you can also use the canned anchovy strips, cut up smaller. We prefer the paste which gives the dressing it's signature flavor.)

Instructions

1. Wash the lettuce well and tear into large pieces.
2. Grate on a generous amount of a good parmesan or romano cheese.
For the dressing:
1. Finely mince the garlic.
2. Whisk together the garlic, olive oil, fresh, squeezed lemon juice, the corn or canola oil, the egg (we use a raw egg, but you can also "coddle," or cook the egg slightly in boiling water for about 1 minute before putting into the blender.), the Worcestershire Sauce, the Grey Poupon, or your favorite spicy mustard, and the anchovy paste (squeeze in about 1 1/2 inches (you can also use the canned anchovy strips, cut up smaller. We prefer the paste which gives the dressing it's signature flavor.).
To finish salad, grate on a generous amount of a good parmesan or romano cheese, add croutons and mix well, coating all of the lettuce pieces.

Recipe courtesy of Maggie MeHaffey, Mehaffey’s Farm, 2011.

Maggie Mehaffey's family, who all help run the Mehaffey Farm,  have lived on their farmland since 1826. The house and barn date back to the early 1700s. The farm’s original 300 acres provided a sustainable living for several generations, until the mid 1960s when the dairy cows were sold. With the remaining 90 acres, we now engage in a new endeavor; to preserve the family legacy our ancestors began.