Grilled Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad

Here's a fresh little take on your ordinary Caesar salad...Grill it!
This will give the salad a nice, unique, smokey flavor that just can't be beat.
I went a little "healthier" with my salad by eliminating the croutons that your regular caesar salad would have and replacing them with some diced cherry tomatoes. I also made my own caesar dressing (see the recipe below.) But your favorite store bought dressing is always fine too if you're in a pinch for time!


Ingredients for the dressing

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of anchovy paste (optional)
the juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil

Method

Add the vinegar, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise, anchovy paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend until well combined. Then, with the machine still running, slowly stream in the olive oil until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Ingredients for the salad

2 heads of romaine lettuce
1/2 of a package of cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Caesar dressing to top

Method

Preheat your grill on hi for about 10 minutes
Remove all of the greener, more delicate pieces of lettuce from the outside of the heads of romaine so that what left are the more firm pieces (the heart of the romaine) these will stay more in tact as you grill them
Cut each heart of romaine in half length wise, but do NOT cut off the base
Rinse each half under cold running water, place on paper towels to drain and dry a bit
In the meantime dice up your cherry tomatoes, set aside
Once the romaine is drained of most of the water brush both sides of it with the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper
Place each half of the lettuce on the grill and sear about 1-2 minutes per side, no more than that or you will just have a wilted mess
Remove from the grill, top with the parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes and drizzle with the caesar dressing
Serve immediately


Yield
4 servings