Winter is here, and it's coooold. And when it's cold, I crave warm and warming foods. But sometimes, I want to curl up and eat something warm and light (re: not pasta).
Enter this salad: The grilling of the romaine, which I do on my grill pan (a miracle tool in the city/winter), gives the lettuce a deeper, heartier flavor. When I was in France, a friend taught me a variation of this vinaigrette recipe which she had learned in her cooking school. I subbed out the white sugar in favor of maple syrup, used meyer lemons, and warmed it up. I also served it with toasty bread that I threw on the grill pan. Perfection.
This recipe is:
- Warming
- Light yet satisfying
- Slightly sweet
- 5 Ingredients
- Less than 15 Minutes!
Simply Grilled Romaine with Warm Lemon Vinaigrette
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a perfect winter salad | serves four
Ingredients:
3 Heads Romaine
8 Slices Baguette
2 Meyer Lemons
2 Tbs Maple Syrup
4 Tbs Olive Oil
[Special Equipment: Grill Pan-- I use this Staub pan, but it's a bit pricey and I've found this brand is wonderful]
Directions:
1. Break apart your romaine into separate, full leaves. If you're not buying pre-packaged romaine, make sure the lettuce is really, really dry after washing; Otherwise, the leaves will wilt when grilling!
2. Set your grill pan over high heat & leave for a few minutes-- we want to get it hot. Place seperated leaves onto to pan, without oil, and remove when char grill marks appear. Set aside charred pieces, and do this with romaining romaine (pun).
3. As you're grilling, you can simultaneously make the dressing: Juice the lemons, watching for seeds, into a heatable glass bowl and add the maple syrup.
4. To warm the dressing, prepare a double boiler-- a pot with boiling water with your pyrex atop it. Slowly drizzle in the oil and keep whisking, until dressing is nice and warm. Play with the proportions! This is just what I like. Note: you could microwave instead of double boiling, if you're pressed for space/ time. Drizzle this on top of the salad when the lettuce is prepared.
5. Place your pieces of baguette on the hot grill pan, and brush with olive oil. Grill to your liking. Toss it all together and serve!
What's your favorite winter salad?
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