Week 42: Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons

We don't eat much salad; it is just a side dish that I never think to make. This seemed like a quick and easy addition to summer grilled dinners.

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks
Serves 4 to 6

Garlic Croutons
4 cloves garlic
A generous 1/4 C pure olive oil
2 C (packed) 3/4″ bread cubes, cut from a good-quality baguette or Italian loaf
Large pinch of salt

Salad
3 romaine hearts, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
5 tablespoon pure olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

Heat a 10-inch skillet over low heat. Add olive oil to food processor. Add garlic and chop. Scrape sides and continue processing so garlic infuses the oil, about 30 seconds. Strain garlic from oil through a fine mesh strainer; reserve half of garlic for dressing.

Increase skillet heat to medium. Place bread cubes in medium bowl. Drizzle garlic oil evenly over bread, along with big pinch of salt; toss to coat.

Add bread cubes to hot skillet and toast, turning the cubes and shaking the pan often, until crisp and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Return croutons to bowl and set aside to cool while preparing salad.

Place chopped lettuce and tomatoes in a large bowl.

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, half the reserved garlic, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Drizzle mixture over lettuce; toss lightly. Sprinkle Parmesan over greens; toss again. Sprinkle croutons over the salad; toss and serve, sprinkling each portion with a little more Parmesan cheese.

My notes:
I didn't use all three hearts of romaine, but I did use all the dressing and croutons. There ended up being WAY TOO much dressing for the romaine.