"Everything that goes into a Caesar salad tastes good with olives—the grated Parmesan, the anchovies, the garlicky croutons," says Michael Mina. That's why he purees Niçoise olives into the dressing and dabs aromatic green-olive tapenade on the greens. Chef Holiday Recipes Made Easy Terrific Green Salads
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the baguette cubes with 1/2 cup of the olive oil, the minced garlic, chives and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and toast for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
In a small bowl, mix the tapenade with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and cook until soft-boiled, about 4 minutes. Cool the eggs slightly under cold running water. Peel the eggs. Add the yolks to a blender along with the olives, the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the garlic clove, Worcestershire sauce and mustard and blend. With the machine on, add the canola oil in a thin stream and blend until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Toss the romaine with the croutons, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan, three-fourths of the anchovies and the dressing. Mound the salad on a platter and garnish with the remaining anchovies, 1/3 cup of Parmesan and dollops of the tapenade.