Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 anchovy fillets
salt to taste
2 Tbsp cold water
Salad:
2 heads Romaine lettuce
2 cups crisp golden croutons, about 1/2-inch square
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
The Dressing: Put the olive oil and garlic in a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon juice and anchovy and blend. Add salt and water and blend. taste and add more lemon juice, garlic, salt or anchovy, if needed. Be sure you can taste the garlic and there must be enough salt to balance.
The Salad: remove the coarse, bruised outer leaves from the heads of Romaine. Separate leaves from the core. wash and thoroughly dry the leaves. You may cut leaves into bite-sized pieces, but leaving them whole makes a prettier presentation.
Assembly: Put all the leaves in a bowl if you have cut them into pieces. Add only enough dressing to coat each piece. gently toss with your hands. Add the croutons and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
If using whole leaves, arrange them in the same direction on individual plates, or in one large shallow serving bowl. carefully pour on enough dressing to coat the leaves. Add croutons and sprinkle Parmesan over the top.
Serves 4.
