Grilled Romaine Salad with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon Dressing

‘We both love to garden. We love the look of our gardens (most of the time). We talk about what we will do next season differently and what new crop we want to try. But we both garden differently. Karen’s garden mimics the French “potager” (raised-bed in a pattern) style with an emphasis -a BIG EMPHASIS- on tomatoes of every type. She also grows herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Judith’s garden is more edible landscaping and container gardening with baby turnips, rhubarb, melons, Italian plum tomatoes, and baby lettuces amongst the pear trees, raspberries, roses, and lavender. Even though our garden types and plantings differ, we’re both on the same page – grilling makes garden-fresh foods taste great.’

After flipping through the pages of this cookbook and getting excited at what I saw, I read the introduction (part of it is shown above) and was immediately drawn in. John and I are avid grillers no matter what time of year it is. When it’s winter there are three paths cleared: driveway, front steps and a path from kitchen door to the barbeque!  I am in total agreement with Karen and Judith’s statement – ‘when you want fresh and healthy foods with more depth of flavor, grilling from the garden makes perfect sense.’  While I don’t have a garden in my back yard, there are local markets nearby.  Their book has me salivating and this recipe for today’s posting is the first of many from The Gardener & The Grill.

Serves 4
adapted from The Gardener & The Grill

2 heads romaine lettuce, trimmed
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
rosemary, garlic & lemon dressing (recipe follows)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings (use a vegetable peeler)
4 slices cooked bacon (optional)

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads into quarters. Brush surface with olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place two wedges on a salad plate and drizzle with rosemary, garlic and lemon dressing.  Add bacon slices and cheese shavings.  Drizzle with more dressing, season with salt and peper and serve.

Rosemary Garlic & Lemon Dressing –
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the dressing –  if using a mortar and pestle, combine rosemary, salt, and garlic in the mortar and grind into a fine paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and grind again. Add lemon zest, juice, grind and taste. Alternatively, combine the rosemary, salt, and garlic in a food processor and pulse into a paste. Add the oil and pulse again. Add lemon zest and juice and pulse. Season as needed. The dressing will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Wow! This salad is so unbelievably good! Use any leftover dressing on veggies, chicken, beef, pork or lamb. The authors also say to try it brushed on bread or pizza dough. Enjoy!