I couldn't decide what to make for dinner tonight until the last minute. I considered several options, from fettucine with anchovies and tomatoes and fried capers, to Thai coconut lemongrass soup. I finally settled on crab cakes, artichokes, grilled flatbread with cherry tomato bruschetta, and grilled Caesar salad.
Grilled Salad?
YESSS!!!!
It is unbelievably good and easy. And it appeased Hannah since she loves it and she was disappointed that I wasn't making the fettucine.
So, how do you grill a salad, you ask?
Start with some hearts of romaine. Plan on 1/4 to 1/2 per person, depending on how much you like salad.
Quarter the hearts(don't remove the stem) and place them in a shallow dish which can hold them all. Then, pour a LOT of olive oil over them. (I may have been gone a while, but if you have forgotten that you must use extra virgin, first cold press then I may have to come over and beat you severely. Or something. Maybe just chastise you whilst consuming all the wine in your house. Unless it comes from a box.) So, after it is nicely coated, roll the quarters around in the oil until all sides are coated. Throw in two or three cloves of garlic per head of lettuce and let the whole thing soak for at least twenty to thirty minutes while you make the rest of dinner.
Heat the grill to high. Put the lettuce on and watch it carefully. Turn it frequently. It may actually catch on fire. Don't worry. Pick it up and blow it out. When it is nicely charred and wilted. (I said charred, not blackened) put it back into the shallow dish with the leftover olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with shaved Parmesan. Or Asiago, or romano. Eat. Just not the hard core end. You can throw that away. Unless you want to suck all the garlic oil off first. Be my guest.
6 comments:
I will totally try this. Now, define "clove" of garlic. That means one little section broken off the whole thing, right? And do I slice, dice, or anything first? Or just toss that whole section in whole??
And, seriously, I should be finding Olive Oil labelled "first cold press" besides just Extra Virgin??? You make things so hard.
My wine is not in a box. If I refuse to buy the right Olive Oil, will you come over and give a lesson?? I'll pay you in wine and yummy fresh fruits......
Oh my, my Heather.
You make me laugh. Yes, a clove is one piece of the whole thing, not the whole thing. And I should have said, chopped, but I always assume people actually know how to cook. Silly me.
Since it might be hard to read "first cold pressed" in Portuguese, I'll give you a pass. But nobody else.
I might be persuaded to give you a lesson once you return to the States in a few years. I have another blogger friend down Texas way I would like to visit, too!
June, this is why I love you. You're so compassionate with those of us who have no clue how to do this fancy stuff.
I will try very hard not to learn too much from your blog, so that by the time I return to Texas I still need an in-person lesson. That would be so fun. I doubt the fresh fruit payment would be the same from there, so I'll just make sure to have more wine....
And, I think I can figure out "first cold pressed" in Portuguese, but is it going to cost me way more than the normal stuff??? Oh my. I'll check next time I'm at the store, just in case. If I can't find it, I'll use my pass, thankyouverymuch!
Did I mention how glad I am that you're back???
Nice to see another Rochester-area blogger! The salad sounds great.
Questions for you... what is the recipe for the fettucine with anchovies? Was it in bon appetit? Sounds familiar for some reason and I want to make it.
Second... I find it hard to believe that you shell out the money for the lump crab at Wegman's. Where do you buy yours and how much is it?
Ah, little Gates Foodette, do yo miss me?
I don't know what fettucine you're talking about. And I'll never tell you where I bought it, cause you would be disdainful. But then, I'm not a rich actuary like you so I shop in the ghetto.
Post a Comment