The fancier the restaurant, the less likely I am to order salad. Why? The lettuce.
I am really a basic lettuce kind of guy. Have iceberg or romaine? I’ll eat it up. Bibb or leaf is great for burgers and sandwiches. Much beyond that, I start to shy away from.
The typical salad at a higher end restaurant looks more to me like what is in my yard waste bin after an afternoon of weeding and clean up. And it tastes it too. I am fan of pepper, but arugula just doesn’t hit my tastebuds right. The purple leaves? Not my kind of greens. Give me a wedge of iceberg or hearts of romaine and I’m happy.
This grilled salad has an interesting texture and good taste.
Very basic ingredients.
Grab some romaine and oil them up. Make sure you brush all sides as it will be less likely to burn if it starts oiled.
Throw them on the grill and turn.
Ready for the plate.
Grilled Romaine Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette, recipe follows
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette:
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Preheat a grill to medium-high.
Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface with olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place each wedge on a salad plate and drizzle with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette or your favorite Caesar dressing. With a vegetable peeler, shave some pieces from a wedge of Reggiano-Parmigiano over each salad and serve.
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/grilled-romaine-salad-recipe/index.html
**Leave off the bacon for kosher and vegetarian versions.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Grilled lettuce – love it!! Kale or a small wedge of green cabbage would work too. As for purple lettuce, it does have the antioxidant anthocyanin, but don’t tell your kids. Red tipped leaf lettuce is plenty exotic. Rock on, man!!
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I am so with you on exotic greens. I never tried grilling lettuce, although other grilled/roasted vegetables are more flavorful, so why not? Great post.
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I have never thought of grilling lettuce but this looks tasty.
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I tried to grill romaine once but I didn’t know about oiling the lettuce first. I’d had it in a restaurant with bits of pancetta and romesco sauce, some shaved parmesan, and it was amazing. But I wasn’t able to recreate, and that’s why. Oiled lettuce! Thanks!
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Reblogged this on calmyourbeans.
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I’m a vegetarian and this is something I might try.
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The grilled romaine sounds interesting. I don’t have a good way to try it in my appartment but I’ve come up with some interesting ways to mock grill in my toaster oven and standard oven so maybe I’ll think of something.
I love spring blend salads and the purple stuff makes a nice splash of color in Vietnamese spring rolls. But a whole salad of arugula would be too much. But it is a really nice touch to put in a homemade cheese sauce for mac and cheese or any pasta dish and chicken dish.
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