Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Grilled Romaine with Bacon & Gorgonzola

Posted by Tina / 10 comments » / *Recipes, Dressings, Main Courses, Salads

It’s officially summertime. Because everyone is looking for something a little lighter, I give you a salad.  Now this salad is no ordinary run of the mill salad. It’s a GRILLED salad. And because sometimes you gotta take a salad over-the-top, I added two of my favorite add-ins: bacon and Gorgonzola.  Is your mouth watering yet?

I first had a grilled salad while on vacation in Alabama a couple of years ago. Our friend took us to his fancy-schmancy clubhouse where they served me my first grilled Caesar salad.

Now you have to remember, this was before grilled salads were as popular as they are today. I scratched my head in bewilderment wondering if I would like grilled… lettuce? Weird. Oh contraire! It was INCREDIBLE. Ever since that day, I have been OBSESSED.

Well, summertime is back and it’s that time of year where anything is liable to end up on the grill! Last year I did a Foodbuzz 24 x 24 themed around everything being GRILLED.

If you’ve never had a grilled salad, today is the day you need to change that. If you HAVE had one, and loved it, you need to try THIS one! The smoky bacon, tangy Gorgonzola, and crisp red onion is a killer combination on grilled romaine. Add on the homemade Gorgonzola vinaigrette: You will love this!

Happy Summer! Bring on the grilled salads!

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Grilled Romaine with Bacon & Gorgonzola

Tip for cooking bacon: place strips onto a sprayed baking sheet and place under the broiler. It only takes 4-7 minutes on each side for crispy delicious bacon!

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons crumble gorgonzola
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

For the Salad:
2 heads of Romaine
8 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles

Directions:

For the Dressing:
Mix all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Be sure to shake or stir well immediately before using.

For the Salad:
Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. Dry whole heads of Romaine well. Place Romaine on grill and allow to sear quickly (be sure to rotate and sear all edges (about 45-60 seconds on each side). Remove from grill and cut stalks off of the bottom. If serving as a main course, gently fan out one head per plate. If using as a side/appetizer, pull each head in half to make 4 equal sized plates.

Evenly distribute bacon, gorgonzola, and red onion among the plates. Top with gorgonzola vinaigrette and serve with a fork and knife!

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