Published July 29th, 2015
Grilled Romaine with basil-lemon vinaigrette
By Susie Iventosch
(Serves 8 as a side dish, or 4 as a main course)

INGREDIENTS
2 heads Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4-8 strips cooked bacon (one per serving)
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters (I like about 6 cherry tomatoes per person)
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (one half per serving)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Dressing
8-10 fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Place basil in a mini food processor and puree until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil and mix until well blended. Adjust with more oil or lemon juice to suit your tastes.

DIRECTIONS
Heat barbecue to medium heat.
Meanwhile, cut heads of Romaine in half lengthwise and trim off just the very end of the stem, keeping most of it intact, so the leaves stay together. Remove any wilted outer leaves. Clean and dry with a paper towel. Lightly brush the cut side and the outer leaves with olive oil and spritz with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill Romaine, cut side down first, for 2 minutes, and then turn it and grill the outer side for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.
To assemble, cut each half head of Romaine into half again, or equal to a quarter of a head. Place bacon strip (or you can crumble the bacon, too), tomatoes, and chicken alongside lettuce. Sprinkle blue cheese over grilled Romaine wedge and drizzle with basil-lemon vinaigrette.

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