Caesar's Third Cousin's Pasta Salad

Clipped out of our local newspaper. Use a fun shaped pasta, such as rotelli, fusilli, farfelle, etc. The coddled egg in the original recipe was replaced with hard boiled eggs for safety reasons; the olive oil reduced by 1/4 cup.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Dressing

• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1  tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3  dashes  hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1  teaspoon anchovy paste or 1  anchovy fillet, chopped small
• 2⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
•  salt, to taste
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste

• Salad

• 2  hard-boiled eggs (mashed or sliced)
• 4  cups cooked pasta, drained and chilled
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shaved
• 4  cups romaine lettuce hearts
• 1⁄2 cup  diced red onions or 1⁄2 cup  diced  walla walla onion
• 1  small cucumber, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup basil leaves, cut into ribbons
• 1  small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, deveined and diced
• 1  cup  homemade crouton

Directions

1. Cook the hard boiled eggs and set aside to cool. Once cooled, shell and mash (or slice).
2. Dressing: In a non-reactive bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce. Whisk until blended. Stir in the anchovy paste or fillet. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
3. Salad: Place the cooked pasta in a mixing bowl and toss with a generous amount of the dressing. Next add the parmesan, egg, onion, cucumber, basil leaves and bell pepper.
4. Cover mixing bowl and chill salad for at least 1 hour.
5. Before serving arrange the romaine lettuce leaves and croutons around the edges of a large platter.
6. Pile the chilled salad in the center. Give the top of the salad a quick sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Serve any remaining dressing on the side.