Caesar, the Real One

Not the pale supermarket version — anchovies, garlic and blue cheese, packing a flavour punch.

The dressing is where the whole thing lives, and most versions are too timid.

Dressing

• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• egg yolk
• anchovies
• lots of garlic — more than you think
• lemon juice
• mustard powder
• salt and pepper

Blend or whisk until it emulsifies. It should be assertive enough to taste slightly too strong on a spoon; the leaves will calm it down.

The salad

• fresh-plucked spinach leaves, not romaine
• croutons
• blue cheese, crumbled
• bacon, crumbled

Spinach instead of romaine is deliberate — it stands up to a dressing this heavy. Blue cheese on top of the anchovy and garlic is what turns it from a side dish into the thing you actually wanted to eat.