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Grilled Romaine Spears with Corn, Leek, and Anchovy Dressing

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Grilled Romaine Spears with Roast Corn and Anchovy Dressing

One of the most forgotten flavors for me is grilled romaine. How could I forget it should remain one of lifes ‘s serious questions because it is SO AWESOME… not to mention super simple to prep for dinner as a yummy side to some grilled meat and veggies. This recipe for grilled romaine with corn, leek, and anchovy dressing inspired from Dash and Bella rocks. I think it is my new fav.

The dressing is super “anchovy” so if you aren’t a fan, I am sure you could go with a simple balsamic with mustard and it would be equally as delish but I happen to dig anchovies like nobody’s business so, I add in a few extra.

The first time I made this recipe of grilled romaine with corn, leek, and anchovy dressing it was for a picnic at the beginning of summer. I served it with a grilled skirt steak and chimichurri sauce and a caprese salad. Now this is the way to kick off summer right….it was so good that every time I entertain, it makes the menu.

With corn at the height of its harvest time, make this…seriously. Tweak it however you want but make it and then make it again. Summer isn’t forever and in my book, sweet corn is one of Earth’s BEST creations.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Grilled Romaine with Corn, Leeks, and Anchovy Vinaigrette
 
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Recipe type: Salad or Side
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 2 romaine spears, halved and reddish part of bottom cut off
  • 1 corn on cob, shucked and removed from cob
  • ½ leek, thinly sliced
  • freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided (half for the romaine and half for the corn)
  • Handful parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, for garnish
  • For Dressing:
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chop
  • 4 to 6 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I like Grey Poupon)
  • Splash Worcestershire sauce
  • A little good olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
  1. To Make Dressing:
  2. In a small food processor, add garlic and anchovies and pulse. Add lemon juice/zest, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a little olive oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
  3. Halve the romaines hearts lengthwise.
  4. Evenly sprinkle the cut sides with ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  5. Put balsamic and 1 tablespoon butter in a large (9-inch or so) pan, preferably cast iron. . Crank the heat to high. Stir until the butter and balsamic melt together and thicken a bit (about a minute).
  6. Press romaine halves cut-side down in the pan. Look after a minute or so. You want a nice dark color but you don't want them to burn.
  7. Flip them over, add some parmigiano, and cook for one more minute. Remove and place on a serving platter.
  8. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Once it starts to brown, add leek and corn. Add the remaining salt. Turn off the heat. Taste. Adjust the seasoning.
  9. Spoon cooked corn and leek over the grilled romaine.
  10. Garnish with chopped parsley and drizzle with a little dressing

Grilled Romaine Spears with Roast Corn and Anchovy Dressing 1

Posole Verde with Roasted Chicken

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Posole Verde Full View

Posole Verde with Avocado Close Up

How is it when harvesting during the fall there is a “sure” feeling that come winter all this deliciousness will run out? Yet after the holiday indulgence there seems to be PLENTLY left to fold out into winter recipes and carry us into the beginnings of growing season again. Life is so good.

A favorite New Year’s resolution for me is to make a conscious effort to cook most of our meals with ALL the yummy goodies we spent hours putting up, either by freezing or by canning. Funny, when we are going through the harvesting process we are absolutely SURE we will never forget the labor of love put in but as the months pass, somehow the time spent fades in our memory….

It was a Sunday afternoon and I went out to refresh my memory on what treasures were hidden away. As I hung over the side of my deep freezer digging away, I saw an entire box of frozen roasted tomatillo sauce I had completely forgotten about! For us, this is one of the easiest things to grow and if I didn’t figure a use, I could easily see filling another 20 jars next year….

Since we are a soup lovin family, I decided I wanted to make posole. I LOVE traditional posole but this time I wanted a bit of a change and these frozen tomatillos would be perfect! I would make posole verde and add some shredded roasted chicken and then pile on a bunch of fresh crunchies such as radish, cabbage, tomato, and avocado! I was starting to drool….it sounded so fresh and delish!

In I went and prepped the chicken to roast. While it was roasting, I pulled out some poblano chiles, jalapenos, onion, and garlic; these were the perfect sofrito for the posole. I love to get that “char” on the skins of the chile and infiltrate the broth with that flavor…ooohhhhh I was getting jazzed!

Once those flavors melded, I added the oregano and cilantro and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then came the chicken stock and hominy. It was looking awesome! Now for the star of the show, straight from our garden, the roasted tomatillo sauce, the smell brought me right back to harvest, right back to the memories of those long days preserving our garden treasures…

Lastly I put in the shredded chicken, you could leave this out and add it along with the garnishing’s on top, but I decided to marry all the flavors and fold it in. I seasoned a bit more and heated it through.

I hadn’t told Enrique what I had made so when dinnertime came, I served it up in big bowls and topped it with the fresh goodies and toasted up some fresh corn tortillas. I brought it to him and his eyes got as big as saucers, this is his soul food and when I shared that the base was all of our tomatillos, he grinned from ear to ear…….

It’s nights like this, many months later that I easily see the circle of life……

Posole Verde Close Up

Posole Verde Frontal View

Posole Verde with Roasted Chicken
 
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Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 1 whole chicken, roasted
  • 1 T butter
  • 8 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 2 pounds tomatillos, husked and halved
  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Three 15-ounce cans of white hominy, drained
  • Finely shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, queso fresco, corn tortillas, and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse chicken and throughly dry. Melt 1 T of butter and coat chicken and brush all over and cover with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour and 30 min. Remove and allow to cool and shred meat into separate bowl, discard bones and skin.
  2. Put husked tomatillos on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until soft. Put into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  3. In a large, dutch oven, heat 1 T of vegetable oil until hot. Add onion, poblanos, and jalapeños. Add oregano, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft and chiles have a little "char" on skin.
  4. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes, Add chicken broth and hominy. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add the shredded chicken to the stew and cook just until heated through.
  6. Serve the posole in deep bowls, passing the cabbage, radishes, onion, avocado, queso fresco, corn tortillas and lime wedges at the table.