Grilled hearts of romaine

Here’s an unusual use for romaine. I’ve done this once before and dressed it with a sort of Caesar dressing. This time I kept it very simple. Even the stem end of the romaine is tender enough to eat as long as you trim it the way you see it.

Of course you can buy hearts of romaine, but for a price. I just get the regular whole thing and cut it up myself, reserving all the extra greenage for salads. This would be good to do on an outdoor grill, but I use my stovetop grill and it’s more than fine.

If you want to be decorous, use a knife and fork to eat it. We just picked it up by the stem end and ate by hand.

Grilled hearts of romaine
1 head romaine lettuce
olive oil
garlic and/or onion powder, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp grated parmesan or romano cheese

Preheat a stovetop grill.

Cut the romaine in half lengthwise. Pull off the outer leaves until you get the amount and shape you want for the “heart.” Trim the stem end, leaving just enough so that the pieces stay together. Brush the cut side generously with olive oil and then add as much salt and pepper as you want and some garlic or onion powder (optional).

When the grill is nice and hot lay the romaine on it cut side down. Let it go for just a few minutes until it has browned a little. Brush the up-side with oil and again add salt and pepper and more garlic or onion powder, if using.

So that the “rounded” second side will make good contact with the grill, lay a piece of foil over it and weight it with something not too heavy. I use a small (7”x9”) cutting board.

After another minute or two it’s ready. Sprinkle some cheese on top and serve.