Caesar Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms

• Recipe by Quick From Scratch Vegetable Main Dishes

Order a Caesar salad at a restaurant these days, and it's likely to be a whole meal, topped with chicken or shrimp. We choose meaty shiitake mushrooms here and also make another break from tradition: The eggs in the dressing are cooked, not raw.

Ingredients

1. 8 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1/2 pound sourdough baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 quart)
3. 3/4 teaspoon salt
4. 3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
5. 4 cloves garlic, minced
6. 1 tablespoon cooking oil
7. 3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
8. 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
9. 2 hard-cooked eggs
10. 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
11. 2 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
12. 2 small heads romaine lettuce (about 1 pound each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (about 5 quarts)
13. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the cubed bread, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to coat the bread with the oil. Sauté the bread until crisp and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the garlic. Transfer to a large salad bowl.
2. In the same pan, heat the cooking oil over moderately high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add half the remaining garlic and the parsley and cook, stirring, for 1 minute longer. Add the mushrooms to the croutons.
3. Put the eggs, vinegar, anchovy paste, and the remaining garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 5 tablespoons olive oil in a blender or food processor and whir until smooth. Add the lettuce to the mushrooms and croutons, sprinkle with Parmesan, and then add the dressing. Toss to coat.