Chicken Caesar Salad

My Uncle Bill's Caesar Salad recipe is legendary in our family. I might have mentioned it in the past... It is absolute perfection as far as a real Caesar Salad goes. (and by real I mean from scratch, no mayo.) My sister and my mom have both mastered this recipe- I'm the first to admit that mine isn't exactly on par. I've adapted it out of sheer laziness-(omitting the raw egg for example)- nonetheless I think its pretty tasty for a weeknight version. Dinner for two. Appetizers for 4 (sans chicken). Chicken Marinade: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut lengthwise into halves 4 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon dijon mustard juice of half a lemon 3 garlic cloves, minced/grated kosher salt and pepper Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and then pour over the chicken in a large ziplock bag. Marinate for 1-2 hours in the fridge. (You'll see the marinade is essentially a vinaigrette. If you have a storebought one that you like, that would absolutely work too. You might add some garlic however.) One could grill the chicken of course- in this case I browned and cooked the chicken over medium/medium high heat in a non stick skillet. Cutting the chicken breasts into halves reduces the cooking time to about 4-5 minutes per side. Caesar Dressing: 1 small/medium garlic clove, grated with a rasp 1 inch of anchovy paste* 3/4 teaspoon dijon mustard juice from half a lemon 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar three dashes of Tabasco small pinch of kosher salt 6 grinds of freshly cracked black pepper 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese (best if really fine, not shredded) *I squeeze the anchovy paste out of the tube directly into the bottom of the salad bowl. If you use whole anchovies, I would use one or two depending on your taste- mash them up with a fork before adding any liquid. Combine everything up through the red wine vinegar into the salad bowl and whisk together until the paste and garlic are well distributed. Then slowly add the olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify. Lastly, mix in the parmesan cheese. I rarely measure it, I just grate it right into the bowl. You want enough to thicken the dressing slightly. This version of a Caesar is more vinaigrette like actually- yet you still get the briny richness of the anchovy and the spice of the fresh garlic. I personally prefer the tang of the lemon and vinegar- however you could go lighter on the vinegar if you like. I use almost a whole plastic container of the pre-washed Romaine leaves for the two of us. These are entree-sized salads for sure. I break the lettuce into the bowl with the dressing (work quickly to avoid soggy lettuce) and then I add one small handful of store bought croutons per person. (I like Pepperidge Farm Caesar style croutons best.) I like to make my own when there's time: Dice day old bread into small cubes, toss with a mixture of olive oil/melted butter, parmesan cheese, garlic salt and seasoning salt. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or so until toasted. I serve the salad on chilled plates (keeps it crisp), topping with the sliced grilled chicken and another light dusting of parmesan cheese. I highly recommend a crusty piece of garlic toast on the side. (I toast the bread, rub it with a clove of raw garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and/or parmesan cheese.) Perhaps redundant with the croutons- but if you're having a salad for dinner, you've earned your healthy gold star for the day so go for it.