Uncle George
Fresh and Local and Caesar Salad
I am told that there are certain words that help restaurants become more popular with location services on the web. It was being explained to me that ”fresh” and ”local” are big.
My favorite is the Burger King ad that says their burgers are eaten locally.
Some of these marketing words remind me of my Uncle George.
I am reminded of my Uncle George a lot. He loomed large in my life and everyone’s life that he touched.
George was fresh with anyone in authority.
He made it a point to drive the local authorities crazy.
It could have been the summer he covered his front lawn in horse shit so he could plant blueberries for his blueberry wine or it might have been the colorful purple blossoms of blueberry wine on everyone’s dining room walls when all of those bottles of blueberry wine blew up.
It could have been the twenty-foot satellite dish and eighty foot radio tower George built so he could talk to the Russians during the height of the Cuban missile crisis.
The whole time George was spreading poop and consternation he wore big rubber boots like his Nova Scotian fishing buddies did. He was pretty light on his feet considering the boots and their weight and the way they kind of “kalumped” when he danced around. There was speculation that he danced around so quick because it made him harder to hit.
About the second year that the bistro was opened Uncle George decided to drive the motor home down from Nova Scotia and help me out and make sure I was running everything “ship shape.”
He was 91.
George started working in the bistro pantry helping with salads and desserts. He was wearing the rubber boots. That got me worried about horse poop and such but he assured they were a new pair. The kalumping was good because it helped keep an ear on where he was and what he was doing and how many times a night he slipped into the bar for a short shot of rum.
On New Year’s Eve in ‘87, George made 121 Caesar salads.
Again, he was 91.
I loved that old man, miss him dearly, and think of him every time I write up this recipe.
Caesar Salad for two.
This is the original recipe travelled from Cesar Cardino’s restaurant in Tijuana directly to Arnaud’s in New Orleans via a sous chef in the 1920s, and thence to me while I was working at Arnaud’s.
Cesar’s was known as a bawdy retreat from prying eyes and Hollywood morality clauses.
He created this salad one day when his produce delivery did not show and all he had was Romaine lettuce.
First:
• two anchovies
• a clove of garlic
• a tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• grate in a healthy pinch of black pepper.
Use the pepper and mustard as a kind of grinding medium and work the anchovy and garlic and mustard-pepper paste against the bowl with two forks until it has a fine, smooth consistency. At the restaurants we actually accomplish this with a Cuisinart – non-traditional but faster and effective.
Whip in just the yolk of an egg and then gradually trickle in olive oil while whipping up into a mayonnaise. Vary the amount of oil according to the intensity of the flavor you desire. Generally about a third to a half of a cup will work. If you use too much or add it too quickly it will break and you have to screw around with adding another yolk.
Finish your Caesar mayo with a ribbon of Worcestershire, juice from a half lemon and about an ounce of red wine vinegar. Stir and toss with a small head of romaine (stripped and cleaned and dried) torn – not cut – into thirds or quarters. Add grated or shaved Parmesan (drier and sharper the better) and croutons. Canadians say it also has bacon, often quite fervently, but what would they know about a recipe that was started in Mexico.
A good Caesar has a rich and creamy consistency and should be eaten with a knife and fork, and a chunk of garlic bread.
Uncle George made over a hundred of them on New Year’s eve night at the restaurant.
While wearing his rubber boots.
Use this recipe and I can imagine him watching with a wry smile.
The kerplunking sound you might hear is those rubber boots.