Charred Romaine Salad Recipes

GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Mix olive oil, white sugar, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Place tomatoes in the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Arrange coated tomato halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake tomatoes 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• In a blender or food processor, finely chop the shallots. Add vinegar and brown sugar, and process until smooth. Slowly add 1 3/4 cups oil, processing frequently, so as to thicken the mixture.
• Preheat grill for high heat. Brush romaine hearts with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Place romaine hearts on the preheated grill. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until slightly charred but not heated all the way through. Serve warm on salad plates surrounded by tomato pieces and drizzled with the shallot dressing.

CHARRED-ROMAINE SALAD

Steps:

• Place radishes and shallot in a small bowl. Bring 2/3 cups of water, 1/2 cup vinegar, the sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over radishes and shallot. Refrigerate.
• Meanwhile, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate while grilling romaine.
• Heat grill to medium-high. Brush romaine halves with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning, until charred but still crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Cut each in half lengthwise. Drizzle dressing over romaine. Drain radish-shallot mixture. Scatter over romaine. Serve immediately.

GRILLED ROMAINE WITH CHARRED GRAPEFRUIT DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high heat.
• Lightly grease the cut sides of the grapefruit(s) and leek with nonstick cooking spray. Grill them both, cut-side down, until they are charred and the leeks are tender, about 2 minutes for the grapefruit and 3 minutes for the leeks. Let cool slightly.
• Juice the grapefruit into a large mixing bowl (you should have about 1/2 cup juice). Chop the leeks and add them to the bowl with the grapefruit juice. Add the olive oil, honey and some salt and pepper to the bowl and whisk to combine. Reserve.
• Lightly grease the cut sides of the romaine with nonstick cooking spray. Grill the lettuce, cut-side down, until aromatic and charred, about 30 seconds. Transfer the lettuce to serving plates. Drizzle it with the prepared dressing and garnish with almonds and shaved cheese. Serve immediately.
• Serving Suggestion: Because my husband is one of those "this is good, but I'm still hungry" kind of people, I added some grilled chicken alongside. Do as you please - this would be perfect with a fillet of salmon, pork chop or all on its own.

GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD

Steps:

• 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 Parmigiano-Reggiano over each salad and serve.
• Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a lid. Secure the lid, then shake to blend. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

CHARRED ROMAINE GREEK SALAD WITH QUINOA-CRUSTED FETA

Steps:

• For the vinaigrette:
• 1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olives, herbs, onion, vinegar, and oil. Set aside.
• For the feta:
• 2. Spread the quinoa flour out on a large plate. Beat the egg white in a small bowl. Combine the quinoa with the oregano and red pepper flakes and spread it out on a second large plate. Coat each slice of feta with quinoa flour, dip it in the egg white, and then coat it in the quinoa mixture, pressing down to adhere. Add enough oil to a large skillet to reach 1/2 inch/1.25 centimeters up the sides of the skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the feta until the quinoa is crisp and the cheese looks melted, about 2 minutes per side. With tongs or a spatula, carefully transfer the feta onto a cutting board. Cut each slice crosswise into roughly 1 inch/2.5-centimeter pieces.
• For the salad:
• 3. Adjust an oven rack to the uppermost position and set the broiler to high (don't adjust the rack if you have a broiler drawer). Remove and discard any of the lettuce's outermost leaves that are damaged. Cut each head in half lengthwise. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil. Arrange the lettuce halves, cut side up, on the baking sheets. Season them with salt and pepper and drizzle them with olive oil. Turn them cut side down.
• 4. Broil one of the baking sheets of lettuce until it begins to char, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove it from the oven, turn the lettuce halves cut side up, and broil until charred, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Set the baking sheet on a cooling rack and repeat with the second tray.
• 5. Divide the lettuce among 8 plates. Top each lettuce half with a 1/4 cup of quinoa, roasted tomatoes, and cucumber slices. Stir the vinaigrette to recombine it and spoon some over each salad. Top with the feta and serve with pepperoncini and lemon wedges.

GRILLED ROMAINE

Steps:

• Preheat grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Drizzle olive oil over romaine lettuce and season with steak seasoning.
• Place lettuce cut side-down on preheated grill. Cook until lettuce is slightly wilted and charred, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice to serve.

CHARRED ROMAINE WITH TOMATILLO DRESSING

Steps:

• Tomatillo Dressing:
• Bring onion, tomatillo, jalapeño, garlic, and 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until onion is very tender, 6-8 minutes; let cool. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
• Purée onion mixture with avocado and cilantro leaves in a blender. With motor running, gradually add oil and 2 tablespoons cooking liquid and blend until combined.
• Add lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
• Salad and Assembly:
• Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Grill poblano, turning occasionally, until charred and blistered, 6-8 minutes. Let cool. Peel and finely chop.
• Drizzle cut sides of romaine with oil; season with salt. Grill, cut side down, until charred, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill just until warmed through, about 30 seconds.
• Spoon dressing onto plates and top with romaine, charred side up, avocado, onion, and poblano. Drizzle with lime juice; season lightly with salt. Scatter Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro stems over.