Grilled Romaine

Grilled Romaine Lettuce, Caesar Dressing,
 Shaved Parmesan, Garlicky Brioche Croutons

Its fair to say that it has been nothing but hectic the last few weeks.  Work have been crazy busy for this time of year and its great to see.  I have learned to appreciate my days off even more.  I have spent alot of my days off doing things with Renee, and or Renee and her family.  Alot of that time is spent around the dining room playing games and or eating.  Linda always has some delicious treats in the refrigerator.  Renee always has a plan for dinner when we are at her parents.  Theres always a selection to choose from.  One evening  there was some romaine lettuce in the fridge.  I had talked to Renee about grilling it, and i had done this also at some culinary training at the J.W. Marriott.  We had some asparagus to grill and for the main course marinated flank steak.  Renee had marinated the steak the night before so it was sure to be appetizing.  On a side note here, I would like to point out the fact that it is in the middle of February and there is no snow here in Chicago, none.  People like myself have been taking advantage of this weather in so many ways.......I choose to grill.  This was a way for me to really try something new.  I mean honestly i have never tried grilled salad greens before.  Yes i am 30 years old, this is one of the reasons i love this job, always learning something and tasting something.  So back to the romaine lettuce.  If you have large heads of romaine, you can cut the into quarters, if smaller, just cut in half.  Brush, and or spray them with olive oil  and season with salt and pepper.  Then grill on a hot grill, of medium low heat.  Don't put to much olive oil on the lettuce, the grill will flare up and wilt and char your lettuce, you do not want that too soon.  Grill for about 7-10 minutes on that medium low heat and you will end up with some fantastic tasting romaine lettuce, with that added grilled flavor everyone talks about.  -See photo above-