July 27, 2011
Grilled romaine? Really, grilled lettuce? Yes! So easy, so quick. The grill adds a slightly smoky flavor to the lettuce and just slightly wilts the leaves. It’s perfect for a Caesar Salad and also works great with other strong flavors like bleu cheese and bacon. Add a piece of grilled chicken or steak to the mix and you have yourself a meal.
The key to grilling romaine is getting your grill to the right temperature (about 400) and to be quick. Some recipes call for grilling the romaine on both sides, but I found that to be too much char. I also used romaine growing in my own garden and found that it needed less time than the larger, more perfectly shaped romaine available at a supermarket. For the smaller heads, I found just over a minute on the grill gave the leaves the grill marks and taste I was looking for. If you’re going with conventional lettuce, give it more time – about 2 minutes.
Happy Eating!
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tndB-B36EdU&t=1s
Grilled Romaine
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Plan for half a head of romaine per person
- Preheat your grill to 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, halve the romaine lengthwise.
- When the grill is ready, drizzle the cut-side of the lettuce with olive oil. Place on the grill, cut side down.
- Grill about 1-2 minutes, depending on the size, just until you have dark grill marks and the lettuce is slightly wilted. Once you’ve got that, add some pepper, and you’re ready to eat!
- Dress the romaine with a Caesar, bleu cheese or other strongly flavored dressing. Top with parmesan cheese. Add a piece of grilled chicken or steak to make a meal.