Gussied-Up Caesar Salad

Caesar salad never much appealed to me until I made my own Caesar dressing. And, oh my, does it make a difference. It's lemony and cheesy and has undertones of salty anchovies. It's a perfect match with crunchy romaine and crispy croutons. I guess Caesar salad enthusiasts are onto something.

I made mine with tons of delicious veggies, leftover roast chicken, shards of grated parmesan cheese, and toasted pita croutons. It was delicious. I'd like to say that two people ate this huge salad, but I ate the most of it myself (I left a few bites for my dad, but I guess that doesn't really count). The star of this salad is the dressing. Make it. Then, what you put on your salad won't really matter because everything will taste amazing. After all, isn't that what salad should be?

Gussied-Up Caesar Salad
Pita bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
Kalamata olives (pitted)
Artichoke hearts marinated in olive oil chopped
Red onion, thinly sliced
Cooked chicken breast meat, shredded
Parmesan cheese, roughly grated
Caesar salad dressing (recipe follows)
Fresh parsley, finely chopped


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pita bread into one inch squares. Scatter on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until crisp and brown but not burnt, about 5 minutes.

2. Arrange lettuce on a serving plate. Scatter olives, artichoke hearts, onion,  chicken breast, and parmesan cheese on the lettuce. Drizzle dressing over salad. Top salad with pita croutons and fresh parsley. Serve.

Caesar dressing
Adapted slightly from Tyler Florence
1 garlic clove, minced
5 anchovy fillets
2 egg yolks
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine garlic, anchovies, egg yolks, lemon juice, and water into a blender or food processor. Puree well, about 30 seconds.

2. With the blender running, slowly our the olive oil into the mixture to emulsify. Add parmesan, a pinch of salt, and pepper and pulse to combine. Dressing will keep in the refrigerator up to one week.