Hail mighty Caesar!

There are many variations on this classic salad, at home you can add some grilled chicken or crispy bacon – but this is the original, and a mighty fine one at that…!

Fresh from the garden: cos (romaine) lettuce, eggs, lemon

Recipe source: adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart

What to do:

• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Carefully melt the butter in the small saucepan.
• Remove the crust from the half-loaf of bread and then slice the bread into cubes.
• Combine the melted butter and tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Add the cubes of bread and then sprinkle with salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper; toss until evenly coated. Spread the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until croutons are golden for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, discard the outer leaves of the lettuce, wash the inner leaves and spin them dry. Chop the leaves into 3cm ribbons.
• Slice the crusts from the bread, discarding them, and cut the bread into 1cm cubes.
• To poach 4 eggs, fill the medium sized frying pan 5cm deep with water and bring to a simmer. Fill the large bowl with cold water. Carefully crack each egg into a small bowl without breaking it and then carefully slide into the water. Let the pan sit for 4 minutes before removing each egg into the bowl of cold water with a slotted spoon.
• Meanwhile, weigh the parmesan and grate it. Juice the lemon to yield 1 tablespoon juice. Separate the remaining egg and reserve the yolk.
• Place the garlic, anchovy fillets, and a teaspoon of salt into the mortar. Using the pestle, mash the garlic and anchovies into a paste. Using the fork, whisk in a grind of pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and egg yolk. Transfer to the large bowl and whisk in the olive oil.
• Add the croutons, the lettuce and most of the cheese to the bowl, and toss well. Divide into your serving bowls.
• Carefully drain the eggs one by one and place on top of each salad. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on and serve immediately!