Grilled Romaine Salad

Yes, grilled salad! Howard and I had this in Blue on Mission Street in our old neighborhood. It was quite a surprise. I went home and found a recipe that was pretty close and adapted it. 

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 8 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 shallot, halved lengthwise and peeled
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups olive oil
  • 4 romaine hearts
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

 

Blue in San Francisco

 & Allrecipes.com

serves 4-6

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 225°F. Mix olive oil, white sugar, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Place tomatoes in the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Arrange coated tomato halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake tomatoes 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Remove from heat, and let cool.

In a blender or food processor, finely chop the shallots. Add vinegar and brown sugar, and process until smooth. Slowly add 1 3/4 cups oil, processing frequently, so as to thicken the mixture.

Preheat grill for high heat. Brush romaine hearts with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place romaine hearts on the preheated grill. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until slightly charred but not heated all the way through. Serve warm on salad plates surrounded by tomato pieces, avocado and drizzled with the shallot dressing.