Grilled Romaine Salad Recipe with Eggs, Wakame & Black Vinegar

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Serves 2

Dressing:

• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Salad:

• 1/2 cup wakame (dried seaweed)
• oil
• 1 slice thick cut bread
• 1 head romaine, intact, washed, throughly dried and cut in half
• 2 eggs, soft of medium boiled, sliced in half
• black sesame seeds, to garnish

Whisk together the dressing ingredients, taste and adjust soy and vinegar if needed; set aside. Rehydrate wakame in hot water according to directions on package. While the seaweed is rehydrating, grill your croutons.

Heat a bit of oil in a non-stick skillet and grill bread on both sides until golden and crisp. Set aside. In a large frying pan, heat up a touch of oil over medium high heat. Place the romaine in the pan, cut side down and fry until slightly charred and wilted, flipping once. Remove from the heat when done.

Drain the wakame and toss with a bit of the dressing. Cut the toasted bread into large croutons. Assemble the salad by placing the grilled romaine on a large plate. Top with grilled croutons, dressed seaweed and egg halves. Drizzle on the dressing and sprinkle on a few black sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately.

Nancy's Chopped Salad

Smitten Kitchen

Makes 6 meal-sized salad or 12 side portions

OREGANO DRESSING:

•  4 cloves garlic
•  1 to 2 tablespoons dried oregano (Nancy recommends 2; I got nervous and used 1, but might not have minded more)
•  2 teaspoons kosher salt
•  Freshly ground black pepper
•  2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon
•  1/4 cup red wine vinegar
•  1/4 cup olive oil, ideally extra-virgin

SALAD AND ASSEMBLY:

•  1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
•  1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into paper-thin rings
•  1/2 pound provolone (see Note about varieties), sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
•  1/2 pound salami, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
•  4 medium or 8 small pickled pepperoncini, sliced into rings
•  3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
•  Sea salt
•  1 head iceberg lettuce (see Note about size), halved, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch ribbons
•  1 head radicchio, halved, cored and cut in 1/4-inch ribbons
•  2 tablespoons dried oregano for garnish (optional)

Make dressing:

Roughly chop the garlic and then add the oregano, salt and up to 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Chop the mixture together and use the side of a knife or a mortar and pestle to make a grainy herb paste. Transfer the paste to a large salad bowl, and add the lemon juice and vinegar. Mix with a fork allowing the salt to dissolve, then add the oil and whisk with a fork until well combined. The dressing should be thick with garlic and oregano. If you’re using a small head of iceberg, transfer 1/3 the dressing into a small bowl to be used only if needed. For a larger head of iceberg, you’ll want it all.

Assemble salad:
Gently fold the chickpeas, red onion, provolone, salami, pepperoncini (including seeds and juice) into the dressing, one at a time. Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

To serve:
When ready to serve, gently add the tomatoes, lettuce and radicchio to the salad bowl, along with a couple of generous pinches of oregano, and toss to combine with the dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding any reserved dressing if needed. Serve immediately.