This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

05/12/2022 12:01 AM

I Wish It Was Summer Right Now


When I was little, my mother used to call me Sarah Bernhardt. I had no idea who Sarah Bernhardt was. She told me Bernhardt was a famous actress in the early 1900s. I think she might have been implying that I was sometimes a drama queen.

She also suggested, amidst all the drama, that I not wish my life away by living too much in the future, and that someday I would wish I could get those years back.

I thought about this again as I was reading my newest food magazines, wishing it were summer, right now, so that I could write about late June strawberries, July’s sweet corn, August’s tomatoes, earthy fall squashes.

Look! I’m doing it again, and it’s only mid-May.

On the other hand, it is time to fire up the grill. I saw a recipe for grilled kebabs of cake and fresh pineapple on skewers tossed with brown sugar, vanilla, and little salt. I also have romaine in the crisper and some blue cheese, too. I have a fresh pineapple on the counter and a few slices of pound cake. I can wing the dessert, but here is a recipe for the entrée.

Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese and Basil

From Food magazine, May/June, 2022

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Dressing

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon capers

Kosher salt

6 cloves garlic

1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoons hot sauce

6 oil-packed anchovy fillets

(or a teaspoon or two anchovy paste)

½ to ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

3 romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise

Extra-virgin olive oil for tossing

Kosher salt

1 lemon, halved

20 fresh basil leaves

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Sliced rotisserie chicken (optional)

Preheat grill to medium. Make dressing: In a blender, combine lemon juice, vinegar, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and the garlic. Blend until smooth. Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, anchovies, and ½ cup oil until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Blend in up to ¼ cup more oil if needed. Set dressing aside.

Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss 4 of romaine halves with a little olive oil and season with salt, put them in a single layer on the grill and cook 3 minutes per side (the romaine should feel slightly warm and tender). Spoon a little dressing on each.

Finely chop rest of the romaine and add to a medium bowl. Add remaining dressing, a touch of lemon juice. and the basil leaves. Toss to coat.

Top the grilled romaine with the remaining dressing and dressed, chopped romaine. Garnish with blue cheese and serve immediately, topped with diced chicken, if desired.