A salad should be chopped in the kitchen, not at the table.
That’s the advice of Food Network star Guy Fieri, who prefers salads made from bite-size pieces.
“A good salad shouldn’t require a knife,” he said via e-mail.
It does require a salad spinner, however, or some other means of drying the greens. One of Fieri’s salad turnoffs is wet lettuce.
“It needs to be rinsed and dried,” he said.
Salads have made an impression on Fieri since he was a child.
“I distinctly remember taco salad night in my family,” he said. “When my parents made taco salad, I thought it was the greatest thing. We didn’t eat a lot of meat growing up, but when we ate this, I had a field day with the fixings — kidney beans, olives, green onions. I love to crumble up tortilla chips and toss it on top.
“My kids love taco salad night now. I continued the tradition.”
For the AP’s Salads of Summer series, Fieri offered an intense salad of grilled romaine lettuce topped with bacon, onions, blue cheese and a tangy vinaigrette made with the bacon drippings.
“The idea behind it is to bring out the natural flavors of the romaine by warming it up, rather than serving it cold like other salads,” he said. “The sweet flavor of the romaine comes out when you char it on the grill. Hit it with the balsamic vinaigrette, bacon, onion and blue cheese and you have a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors.”
Fieri ignores his own no-knife-needed advice for salads with this grilled romaine offering. But it’s worth the extra trouble. The grilling imparts a deliciously smoky (and, for salads, unusual) flavor. The inclusion of the bacon fat in the vinaigrette doesn’t hurt, either.
Grilled romaine with blue cheese bacon vinaigrette
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 pound bacon, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 romaine lettuce heads, halved lengthwise, cores removed and leafy ends trimmed
Salt and cracked black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Heat a grill or indoor grill pan to high.
In a large skillet over high, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and bacon and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onion and bacon to a plate. Return the skillet to the heat and add the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Bring to a simmer, then cook to reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Brush the romaine with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill cut side down and quickly sear until grill marks are visible. Set aside.
For each serving, place half a head of romaine cut side up on a plate and drizzle the balsamic dressing. Sprinkle with blue cheese and the bacon and onion mixture, then season with black pepper.
Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 330 calories; 270 calories from fat (81 percent of total calories); 30 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 8 g protein; 1 g fiber; 640 mg sodium.
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