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Grilled Romain Topped with Caesar Vinaigrette and Herbed Granola

This is a great salad to make in the summer. While grilling lettuce is not standard practice, something about the quick, light charring of this salad feels entirely appropriate.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Champagne Vinegar
  • 2 Medium-sized Garlic Cloves minced
  • 3/4 Cup Mayo
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tsp Ground Pepper
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 Pinches of Kosher Salt

For the Granola

  • 1 Cup Rolled Oats gluten-free for us
  • 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp Chopped Pine Nuts
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
  • 1 1/2 tsp Fresh Oregano chopped
  • 1/4 Cup Honey
  • 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

For the Grilled Romaine

  • 1 head of romaine lettuce
  • Extra virgin olive oil for brushing
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

First, make the dressing:

  • In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, champagne vinegar, and minced garlic. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the acid in the lemon juice and vinegars to remove the harshness from the garlic.
  • Whisk in the rest of the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust salt level as desired, then place the dressing in the fridge.

Make the granola:

  • Heat a pan on medium low heat. Add the rolled oats, pine nuts, basil, extra virgin olive oil, and toast until the oats turn light brown.
  • Add the honey and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat evenly. Let this cook in the pan for about 1 minute.
  • Add the fresh chopped oregano and mix together well.
  • Pour the granola onto wax paper and place in the freezer to cool for about 10 minutes.

Grill the romaine:

  • Heat a grill on high.
  • Cut the head of romaine into quarters, and submerge each piece in water. Swish around in the water gently to allow any dirt trapped in the leaves to escape. Lay each piece on a couple layers of paper towel and rotate every couple of minutes to allow the water to drip out of the leaves.
  • Brush each side of the lettuce lightly with the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on all sides.
  • Grill each lettuce quarter for 20-30 seconds on each of the 3 sides. Remove from heat.

Assembly:

  • Lay the lettuce quarters on separate plates, with the cut sides facing up so the dressing will penetrate into the leaves. Drizzle a little of the dressing over each serving and top with some of the crumbled herbed granola.