Caesar Salad Pasta

Caesar salad was invented by Caesar Gardini in 1924 in his Italian restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, and they say that Julia Child had a taste of the original.

Using the same ingredients as the salad dressing, make sure  that when preparing this, please don't skip the step that requires you to cook the egg yolks in some of the hot pasta water—this kills the microorganisms present in raw eggs. The heat of the pasta will also cook the egg yolks further, making a nice creamy sauce.

Serves 5 to 6  Prep Time 20 to 25 minutes  Cooking Time 20 minutes

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 anchovy fillets, mashed
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground  black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup reserved hot pasta water
3 egg yolks
      (Click to see How to Separate an Egg)   
450 grams spaghetti, freshly cooked until al dente
1 small head Romaine lettuce, washed, spun dry (using a salad spinner),
          and chopped coarsely, plus more for topping
200 grams bacon, cooked and
          chopped coarsely, plus more for topping
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
           or queso de bola, plus more for topping
1 cup croutons, plus more for topping
crusty bread, to serve (optional)

1  Saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant but not brown. Add anchovies and cook for 1 minute. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, freshly ground pepper, and lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

2  Mix pasta water with egg yolks to slightly cook the yolks.

3  Add egg yolk mixture to garlic mixture and immediately toss into the freshly cooked pasta.

4  Add Romaine lettuce, bacon, grated cheese, and croutons and continue mixing until ingredients are evenly distributed. Top with more lettuce, bacon, cheese, and croutons. Serve immediately, with crusty bread, if desired.

Visit his blog at www.chefjunjun.com to read about his life as a chef and get more of his recipes.

Photography by At Maculangan | Food Styling by Jun Jun de Guzman | Food Styling by Paulynn Chang Afable | Props from Rustan’s Department Store (white plate)

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