Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Grilled romaine salad

Friday 22 Dec.
Had this at Bacaro in Champaign-Urbana (blog for Oct. 13), so we decided to recreate it at home. It seems to be a Bobby Flay invention. I found a couple of recipes on the net, but forgot to bring them home, so just winged it. But the concept ain't exactly that difficult.
Find a nice head of romaine lettuce. Pull off any floppy leaves. Cut in half, paint with olive oil, and toss on the grill cut side down first. Flip after about 3 minutes, and grill on the curved side for 3 minutes more. It chars nicely, the leaves don't curl up much, and the grill marks look cool. Cover with a Caesar dressing (anchovies and parmesan), top with fried-up duck bread* croutons - they'll fall off, but who cares - and sprinkle with more grated parmesan. Had it with a few slices of the cold rare lamb.

*Duck bread, an explanation. Our favorite BBQ joint, Mr. Pig at Findlay market, does fine ribs and a fabulous brisket (not always available and so a more desired treat). They include a couple of slices of spongy white bread draped over the plate of ribs. However generous the act, let's face it, Spongy White Bread is 1) the worst name for a rapper ever, and 2) fit only to be fed to the ducks in Burnet Woods, hence the culinary term "duck bread." To be honest, sometimes the ducks are so well-fed and fussy that they won't eat it either. I've just submitted the term "duck bread" to UrbanDictionary. Let's see if they'll take it.
Update: They have! It's now an official bit of urban slang: Duck bread.

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