GARLIC BREAD & CAESAR SALAD!!!
by
Phil & Geri
Our July 2014 traditional “Zuppa di Clams Night” at the Dewey Beach, Delaware, condo. But the “Zuppa Night” is not the only Dewey recipe tradition! And my obnoxious shirt, preserved only for Dewey Beach, is clocking some 25+ years (& looks it)!
Excuse us for living, but most of you by now must have your own great recipe for garlic bread and maybe even Caesar salad. Our recipes for these gems were honed at home over the years. But these two recipes fell into our condo beach stay at Dewey Beach, Delaware, retinue of menus over the past seventeen summers there.
Oh, we enjoy going to four favorite restaurants down there for our two weeks and trying a new one now and then. But most of all, we look forward to the three nights we have Happy Hour and cook together the Zuppa di Clams, Garlic Bread, and Caesar Salad.
For Zuppa di Clams Night, I refer you to a previous post or article here. Just go to the right margin and click on Friday Night/Recipe Posts, click 4thPastaPost, and up will pop “Spaghetti & Red Clam Sauce & Zuppa di Clams!”
GARLIC BREAD NIGHT!
Pictured is one half loaf cut in half. Not for the faint of heart on the “garlic score,” but you can cut that back to taste. Usually we prefer an Italian bread or French bread somewhere between the large size/width pictured here & a Baggett.
The Menu: Large steaks of your choice, preferably grilled, a generous bowl of salad of your choice to toss with a light dressing like a vinaigrette so you can have “seconds,” & all the garlic bread your heart desires! – -And plenty of dry red wine!!!!!!!! Cabernet Sauvignon? A Merlot? Pinot Noir?
The Recipe: Use Italian or French bread of your choice that has a hardness to the crust. We like a width somewhere between a Baggett and a wide Italian bread, usually called French bread. Make 1 large loaf so you have leftovers. Slice the loaf first into two halves. Then slice the half loaf length-wise (as pictured above).
Take a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill it with 1 3/4 cups of your favorite oil. We use Canola oil. You may like olive oil or any favorite oil will do.
Using a garlic crusher (labor intensive now), crush 12 medium to large cloves of garlic. Cowards may cut back on the number of cloves. WARNING: DO NOT plan on socializing with other people for 2 days! Add the garlic to the oil and mix/stir.
Add 4 teaspoons of oregano to the oil and mix/stir.
Add 4 teaspoons of your favorite Italian grated cheese to the oil and mix/stir. We use Pecorino-Romano.
Using a teaspoon, spread the mixture from the measuring cup over the open cut bread on both halves. Proceed cautiously as to have enough, pouring a teaspoon on the bread and then spreading it over the bread with the spoon. (Monitor your mixture and add oil, oregano, cheese, and even garlic if necessary.) Repeat this procedure for the other half loaf.
Now put both halves of the bread together. Sprinkle the top of the bread with a little oil and cheese. Cut the loaf into one inch or so slices. Slide the half loaf onto 2 pieces of tinfoil large enough to wrap the half loaf.
Repeat the above procedure for the other half loaf!!!
Heat each half loaf in the oven to serve hot in the tinfoil at the table placed in a basket.
Need that second half loaf? Or save for a future meal!
Caesar Salad Night!
Perhaps our piece de résistance, this is our version of Caesar Salad. We realize there are many versions & ours differs from the traditional recipe, especially leaving out raw egg.
The Menu: Large steaks of your choice, preferably grilled, generous loaves of Italian or French bread warmed, plenty of your favorite butter, & helping yourself to Caesar salad with abandon. (That means eat all you want and more!) – -And plenty of that dry red wine you like or try another!!!!!!!!
The Recipe: Start with two very large heads of Romaine lettuce, using most of it, even the harder part of the leaf. Wash each leaf at the sink as you break it off the head and tear each leaf into large bite size pieces. Unless you have a huge bowl, throw the leaves into a large pot.
Using that garlic crusher again (from the garlic bread!), crush 8 medium to large cloves of garlic. You can cut back on the number of cloves here too (as with the garlic bread), but give this a try! – -So good! Again, DO NOT plan on speaking to people for 2 days! Add the garlic around the bowl/pot of Romaine as you crush it.
Slice 15 large or 24 small green olives stuffed with red pimentos. Sprinkle them over the bowl/pot of Romaine.
Optional: Dice into 1/4 inch pieces an entire can of anchovies. Picking up the pieces of anchovy, spread them over the Romaine. Pour the oil from the can over the Romaine. Throw the empty can into the bowl/pot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! – – Just wanted to see if you were still awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Disregard that last one!
Top off the bowl/pot of Romaine: first, with 6 teaspoons of your favorite grated Italian cheese, spreading it all over the top of the Romaine (We use Pecorino-Romano cheese); and second, with 6 teaspoons of plain bread crumbs, again spreading it over the Romaine.
Finally, as you are ready to sit down and eat, pour your favorite oil over the Romaine to taste. Do not overdo it, but pour enough oil so that the Romaine will be moistened with oil throughout. Again, we use Canola oil. You may prefer olive oil or some other. Now generously toss your Caesar salad with two large utensils; mixing in the oil, the bread crumb and cheese toppings, and all the ingredients! – -See if you can stop taking helping after helping of that Caesar Salad! – -Ambrosia!
Excuse us for living, but there is no turning back after these recipes! Once we’re down in Dewey Beach, Delaware, the Zuppa, Garlic Bread, and Caesar Salad take over! And the beach is wide to the ocean and uncrowded so we can keep a safe distance from other people and still breathe!
Comments: Please!
Sources: Absolutely none!
Excuse Us for Living 
Well, you must come from Southern Italy…in Tuscany, we slice the whole loaf lengthwise and then cut it in half. Such a delicious post! I’m starving now!
By: chipnoon on August 21, 2014
at 2:44 pm
Chip, Thanks! –Even regionalized slicing!!!!!!!!! Siciliano here! Hope people try these two recipes……but there are so many versions of these plus family favorites or “secrets.” Thanks, my Renaissance Man! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 21, 2014
at 3:02 pm
Here I am scrolling through my reader as I trip over one of your delicious looking recipes again! 🙂
Can’t wait to try it out, thanks Phil!
Lots of love to you and Geri! ❤
By: Just Patty on August 21, 2014
at 3:09 pm
Patty, Me too! I was scrolling a little while ago on your FB page to see if I missed anything! OMG! I tried some “Likes & Comments” but there’s no catching up. I know I’ve been spending less time on the news feed but I DO check it twice a day……just not enough. I feel badly I am not keeping up on the Wolf Pack people…such a special group surrounding you!!! If you try these recipes, I’ll know it!!! –so good! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 21, 2014
at 3:53 pm
Hahaha, sorry for spamming your news feed Phil! 🙂
I am more active on FB nowadays since my brother got back in touch again. 🙂
And I will certainly let you know when I try this recipe!
Hugz ❤
By: Just Patty on August 21, 2014
at 4:01 pm
OMG Phil! I never laughed so as when you said-” do not talk to people for 2 days”…that would be impossible for me…bwahahaha!
I am curious tho-why do you use canola oil and not olive oil….????
By: marg on August 21, 2014
at 6:05 pm
Marg! You are so funny too! Geri sticks to the Canola, corn oil I believe, because she says it is healthy. Despite all the praise for olive oil as so good for you, we were raised with the idea that olive oil was bad for the arteries. But the thinking on that has changed. And our taste buds got used to the Canola & we think the olive oil changes the taste of things to a taste we do not like. Then again, there are so many olive oils to try & I am sure the tastes vary. How to you spell whop-ginny talk? Ha! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 21, 2014
at 7:51 pm
Thank you for teasing my taste buds, honestly that was a cruel thing to do, now I’m starving. Very nice and yet painful post. 🙂
By: Dom DiFrancesco on August 21, 2014
at 7:18 pm
Dom, No pain, no gain! Now go for the gain & make the recipes….but one at a time per meal….NOT TOGETHER!!!! Thanks for the comment & reading my post! Forgive me for not hitting all the blogs Patty has introduced me to like yours I think! TIME!!!!!!!!! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 21, 2014
at 7:54 pm
You didn’t talk about the other essential – which wine(s) to serve. I think you should hook up with Amazon and they could overnight deliver to people like me. We don’t cook! If it doesn’t come out of a cereal box, a can, a microwave, or delivered to my front door, then I don’t eat it. Even boiling water is a pain in the bu**.
By: Jim Thrailkill on August 22, 2014
at 9:04 pm
Jim, Ah, but I DID talk about three wines!!! Ha! Great idea! Overnight food delivery business!!!!!!!!! You will be our first customer!!! Thanks for always reading & commenting! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 22, 2014
at 9:34 pm
It all sounds delicious. I love garlic and am sure your recipes will be wonderful. I understand that garlic is very healthy and it keeps the mosquitos away so there are some side benefits, besides the great flavor it adds to any dish. I also regularly use canola oil and will continue to use until they come out with a new study declaring it a bad substance, that will only hurt you. Actually, I never heard of olive oil until I married an Italian, and Canola oil must have been discovered recently too because my mother and grandmother never had it in their pantries. Sue
By: Sue on August 23, 2014
at 10:55 pm
Sue, Thanks for commenting & reading this post! I think I DID hear something about mosquitoes not liking garlic. We get hell from some people for the Canola! THANK YOU!!!!!! Virgin olive oil it “the thing.” To each his own I tried to say!!! Yes, the Canola came into vogue maybe sometime in the 70’s & 80’s when we were all getting started with marriage & kids & healthy eating for our families. So our parents generation & today’s world missed the Canola phase! Ha! Food techie talk! Thanks, really, for commenting so nicely & supportive!!! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 24, 2014
at 12:46 pm
We eat Caesar salad often too in the summer. Don’t have steaks with it though. And round here nobody would notice if we reeked of garlic!
By: Jane Dougherty on August 27, 2014
at 3:57 pm
Jane, So nice of YOU to come over here! Ah, Caesar Salad….we have so much in common! Ha! Garlic bread too? Sounds like you live in the wide oped spaces sparse of people! Check out my right margin below the dates for posts on topics from news & history, books, humor, travel, holidays, & Pasta Recipes, etc, anything I wish to write about. Nice to hear from such an accomplished author as you! Many thanks for your time. Phil
By: philipfontana on August 27, 2014
at 5:01 pm
Great food and cool shirt. I’ve got a bunch of this type. They say they are tourist silliness but I think it is a cool Tom Selleck Hawaii look.
By: Carl D'Agostino on August 28, 2014
at 11:03 am
Carl, Thanks! The shirt goes with the menu, right?! I have the “normal” load Hawaiian shirts. But this one is the “original” & goes back an embarrassing 25-30 years. I keep sewing the back of the neckline!!! And I only wear it indoors at the condo in Dewey Beach, DE. Thanks for commenting! Phil
By: philipfontana on August 28, 2014
at 11:42 am
Oops! Must a lost me invite. 😉
By: Kev on September 6, 2014
at 2:20 pm
Kev, Thanks for visiting! Oh, now I get it! Your “invite” to dinner!!!! Ha! Which one, the garlic bread or the Caesar?????????? Phil
By: philipfontana on September 6, 2014
at 3:38 pm
The garlic bread. 😀
By: Kev on September 6, 2014
at 5:02 pm
Hey Phil, after checking out your blog you don’t actually qualify as an old guy-I’d still hang out with you though. 😉 funny post
By: matildathemoonraker on September 8, 2014
at 4:39 pm
Matilda, Hey, Moonraker, that’s a very nice comment! Mutual here I am sure already! Hope you do an “About “post & then use it for your bio on your blog. I don’t know if mine says I’m in New Jersey. Phil
By: philipfontana on September 8, 2014
at 6:29 pm
I’ve got some laps to do tonight but I will do the post, only because I am “putty in your hands”. 🙂
By: matildathemoonraker on September 8, 2014
at 6:55 pm
Sounds very delicious Phil, and many thanks for the recipes, I will definitely try them out! 🙂
By: Indah Susanti on September 15, 2014
at 12:38 am
Indah, So nice of you to comment & thanks for your kind words! DO! DO try out those recipes & tell me how you like the ones you try as a comment after the recipe on “Excuse US…” That would be fun!!! Nice to meet you & your great website through Mino’s website! Phil
By: philipfontana on September 15, 2014
at 11:05 am
love Caesar salad and garlic bread too but with steaks mostly:) thanks for sharing
By: Tanveer Rauf on September 21, 2014
at 7:56 am
Tanveer, Many thanks for your comment! What you say is just what my post recommends as a menu for each….STEAK DINNERS!!! Enjoy these recipes. Sounds like you have many of your own perhaps!!!! Phil
By: philipfontana on September 21, 2014
at 11:52 am