Grill your greens

It has been a couple of weeks of serious contemplation. Thinking, thinking, thinking and frankly, I’m tired of thinking. Though, most of that thinking has led to a sense of gratitude and gratefulness, I’m still ready for some mental down time.

Sunday dinner was spectacular! Maybe because I didn’t have to think much about it. Time spent enjoying the perfect weather and the company of good friends. It was enough. We talked late into the evening and didn’t turn on any lights! I love defying the clock. Rules be damned!

There was the rhubarb. I am not a fan of the taste of rhubarb. I don’t care how many strawberries you tuck in with it or how much you sugar it up. It has a big “ick” factor for me. But it’s pretty! And pretty goes a long way where dessert is concerned. And where my friends are concerned, leftovers to take home are just a Sunday dinner bonus!

 

The weather called for grilling and I would almost go so far as to say I made grilling the theme. I grilled everything but the risotto. And even the risotto had grilled asparagus in it. The sweetness of grilled asparagus and the creamy risotto with the tangy chevre was a match made in heaven.

I grilled the romaine for a grilled Caesar. I grilled the croutons. I even grilled an avocado. Shut up! I did! And if you think the perfectly-ripe cold avocado is dreamy. Try grilling one. Seriously. You’ll be transported.

 

I apologize for the “washed out” look on some of my photos. Suddenly, my camera stopped obeying me and I can’t turn the flash feature off. The only thing I hate worse than rhubarb is flash photography.

 

So, after the grilled dinner and lots of inappropriate banter and subsequent gut-wrenching laughter... I got all sentimental about Tom’s car. This is what he showed up in. Don’t you think this is the quintessential Sunday-dinner ride?

 Okay, back to the salad.

Seriously, you need to try grilling your Caesar salad! I think you’ll love it. I just brushed the split hearts of Romaine with a little olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper. I split the avocado and removed the pit. I put these on the grill until a nice char developed.

As for the croutons, I sliced some wonderful roasted garlic crusty bread and brushed it with olive oil and again, salt and pepper. Once it was charred from the grill I raised it up on the top rack to get crispy.

I made the dressing using an emersion blender. Roughly, it was a clove of garlic, a coddled egg and about ¾ cup of olive oil. To that lovely garlic aioli I added the juice of half a lemon, a healthy dash of Worcestershire, cayenne, Dijon, salt and pepper and a little balsamic vinegar.

I chopped the salad ingredients, topped with some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (don’t even think about buying that krap in the deli cup) and drizzled with the dressing.

Try it!