Romaine Heart Salad With Creamy Dressing Recipes

HEARTS OF ROMAINE WITH CREAMY FETA DRESSING

Steps:

• Cut each heart of romaine in half lengthwise. Arrange romaine on a serving platter.
• For dressing, in a food processor or blender combine Basic Vinaigrette, 1/2 cup cheese, the water, oregano, garlic, and salt. Cover and process or blend until smooth.
• Drizzle dressing over romaine; sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. To serve, cut romaine halves crosswise into quarters. Basic Vinaigrette
• In a small screw-top jar combine oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Cover and shake well. Out of feta? Use goat cheese (chèvre) instead. For a change of texture, use baby greens in place of the romaine. Go Middle Eastern and use a teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander instead of the oregano. For an Asian spin, use 3 tablespoons peanut oil and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil for the olive oil, lime juice for the lemon juice, and rice wine vinegar for the white wine vinegar. Want a French Vinaigrette? Add 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard and 1 tablespoon minced shallot. Want a heartier flavor? Use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar in place of the white wine vinegar.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH BREADCRUMBS AND SIMPLE DRESSING

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a bunch of grinds of pepper (about 20 grinds) and cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are golden brown, about 5 minutes. It's important to stir the whole time to make sure that they do not burn--which will happen if they sit too long in the skillet untouched. Once golden, immediately transfer them to a plate to cool and stop the cooking process. Set aside.
• Whisk the yogurt, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, garlic, 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and about 20 grinds of black pepper in a small bowl until smooth, creamy and combined.
• And add the romaine to a serving bowl. Sprinkle in 3/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and the dressing and toss until the lettuce is nicely coated. Sprinkle the remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan on top and serve immediately.

ROMAINE HEARTS WITH GREEK DRESSING

Steps:

• Cut each of the romaine hearts in half, leaving the stem end intact so the leaves stay together. Top each with a few rings of onions, and place 5 olives in a small pile on each plate.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Drizzle some dressing over each lettuce half and serve.

HEARTS OF ROMAINE WITH CREAMY DRESSING

Steps:

• Remove the outer darker green leaves from: 2 heads of romaine lettuce.
• Cut off the stem end and separate the leaves. Wash them thoroughly and spin-dry in batches.
• To make the dressing, stir together in a large bowl: 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, Grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste, and adjust as needed. Whisk in: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons heavy cream.
• Taste for salt and acid and adjust if needed. Gently toss the lettuce with the dressing, making sure each leaf is evenly coated.
• A couple of salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted, and chopped, are a great addition to the dressing.
• Some or all of the following herbs are delicious chopped and scattered over the salad: basil, chervil, chives, and tarragon.
• This dressing is equally suitable for butter or Bibb lettuces and for frisée and radicchio.

ROMAINE SALAD WITH ANCHOVY AND LEMON

Steps:

• Prepare the romaine hearts: Cut off the bottoms, and remove a few of the outer leaves from each head. Gently separate the pale inner leaves and refresh in a deep basin of cold water. Drain leaves well, then spin dry, wrap in kitchen towels and refrigerate.
• Make the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and anchovy. Whisk in the olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning; dressing should be rather tart.
• Put the leaves in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pour the dressing over the lettuce and gently coat the leaves, tossing with your hands. Using a peeler, shave large curls of Parmesan over the salad.

ROMAINE AND ROASTED-BEET SALAD WITH CREAMY ROQUEFORT DRESSING

Steps:

• Make dressing:
• Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Fold in Roquefort cheese and cream. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Make salad:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets tightly in foil. Bake until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool beets; peel and cut each into wedges.
• Arrange 2 lettuce quarters crosswise on each of 6 large plates. Surround lettuce on each plate with beet wedges. Top with some onion slices and watercress sprigs. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with walnuts and serve.