Controversial or quintessential, anchovy-based Caesar salad dressing. This deeply savory variation includes manchego cheese, marcona almonds, and a touch of smoky paprika. This dressing blends up quickly and keeps for 1 week, refrigerated.
Submerge the romaine to remove any sand. Lift the lettuce and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so it's nice and crisp.
Place the garlic, anchovies, egg yolk, paprika, lime juice, salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Turn it on low and slowly pour a steady stream of olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Pour the dressing into a large bowl and grate 1/4 cup of manchego cheese into the dressing. Gently roll the indivual romaine leaves into the dressing to lightly coat.
Arrange the leaves on a platter and lavish with extra manchego, chopped marcona almonds, or croutons.
Notes
Variations: To make the dressing without the egg, add an additional tablespoon of the oil. You can make the dressing with 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce in place of the anchovies for a vegetarian version.Equipment: While you can make the dressing in a blender, the food processor is better because you can macerate the ingredients and slowly incorporate the oil while it runs.If you want to hand whisk the dressing, use the wide flat part of your knife to smash the anchovies and garlic down. Scrape firmly to form a paste.While this salad is intended to be eaten by hand, you can chop the romaine into bite sized pieces if you prefer.