A Winelover's Wanderings

This week Cindy Ruth of Baked Alaska picked the recipe for our Salad Samplers. Here is what she said:

I chose Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. I adapted this recipe from one I found on FoodTV. One substitution that I often use when making this is to substitute part of the olive oil in the dressing with lemon-infused olive oil. It's not necessary to do it, but if you happen to have some of the delicious lemon olive oil, this is a great place to use it.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce
Extra-virgin olive oil
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette, recipe below
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chopped tomatoes
Homemade croutons, if desired

Instructions:

Preheat grill to med-high.
Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface wtih 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. With a vegetable peeler, shave some pieces from a wedge of Reggiano-Parmigiano over each salad. Top with chopped tomatoes and homemade croutons and serve.

Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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.

I really liked the dressing. Of course, I changed a couple of things - instead of olive oil, I used Citrus Cilantro grapeseed oil and instead of white wine vinegar (which I didn't have), I used rice vinegar.

Accompanying our salad, we had some Farmer's Market squash - a real vegetarian dinner!