Romaine

Well, hello there. It's been six weeks since my last post. And that's way too long not to be cooking from Happy in the Kitchen. It's just that.... you know what, I'm not going to bore this post with WHY it's taken me this long to write again. But, I promise, my excuse is very-very good. 

At any rate, I'm so glad to be cooking and writing again. home sweetness... I'm home. 

5PM on Get-It-Done-Sunday, Snow Patrol station on Pandora. Feeling like something green, clean and bright with bite. So very fresh it can only set this coming week right. This Sunday calls for Romaine.

Have you ever played that game: "If I were a vegetable I would be.... "?  Ok, fine.  Maybe I was the only one who did. But, if the game existed and I were asked... as a vegetable I would be a mushroom (this will be explained at a later post). But would aspire to be a head of Romaine. Of all the lettuces, Romaine is the most diverse and flexible. It's its own oxymoron. It's delicate and robust. Its sweet greenness comes through with a bitter, even sometimes, spicy finish. Know what I mean? And for most of us, our acquaintance with this gem starts and ends with Caesar dressing. Which is tragic.

This recipe in Michel's Happy in the Kitchen is called Romaine on Romaine. The green leaves are rolled in Vietnamese Rice Paper into a bouquet for a dunking salad. The Shallot dressing also gets tossed with Romaine ribs at the very end (the same way Roquefort crumbles get folded into Roquefort dressing just before serving for that extra something special finish).

Question: Since I'm doing 2 recipes in this post does it give me a pass for being six weeks behind?

I start with the Shallot Dressing

Mis en Place

1/2 C mayonnaise; 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard; 1/4 C finely minced shallots; 1 TBSP red wine vinegar; 1 TBSP water; 4-drops Tabasco; 1/4 C minced Basil; 1/4 C minced Chives; fine sea salt and fresh crack black pepper to taste

FYI - a large shallot gets 2 lobes, a big lobe and a small lobe. The big lobe is enough for the quarter cup. 

I tell you, I learn something new everyday. 

Everything into the blender. 

Have rubber spatula close by for quick scraping down (as necessary). 

Blend all the way through or pulse as desired. Leave a bit of texture to the mixture or blend completely until smooth. Mixers choice. I chose smooth. 

Season to taste. Set dressing aside. This makes about 3/4 C. 

Now for the bouquets and dunking sauce: 

Mis en Place

1 large head of Romaine lettuce (pick the freshest, largest and greenest looking of the bunch); Shallot dressing; 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil; 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar; 1/4 tsp honey; Tabasco sauce; fine sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste; 

two 8-inch rounds of rice paper

Separate the large outside leaves from the smaller lighter interior leaves. 

 Wash and lay to dry on kitchen towels, set aside. 

We're working with the large leaves, first. 

(I'm calling these L leaves) 

Once the L leaves have been dried, remove the center rib from the rest of the leaf. 

Two step process: 

Chop the ribs into 1/4-inch pieces and set aside. 

Cut enough of the dark green loose leaves to make 1 cup. 

Back to the blender. Combine the Shallot Dressing, chopped dark Romaine leaves, extra virgin olive oil. Blend until thoroughly combined.

I found that the mixture got slightly watery, but it's totally fine.

Pour this mixture into a small bowl

This isn't a Pollack. 

Now it's only about to get even wetter. Add the rice wine vinegar and a few (by few I mean 8-10 drops, but that's only me) of Tabasco into the dressing. Mix lightly to combine. Set aside. 

 I place both rice papers in between two damp towels, wait 3-4 minutes. And the wrappers are now one thick piece. Not the desired result. I'm an idiot. 

For the record: one piece at a time, place a rice paper wrapper between two damp towels for 3-4 minutes or until soft.

Must work really quickly. 

Arrange one portion of small Romaine leaves in a little pile. Cut ends off for an even edge. 

Make 4 little Romaine piles. 

Again... must be quick with the hands. Working with the rice paper wrapping

Cut wrapping in half

Working with wet fingers also helps the wrapper from sticking. But kinda makes for a slippery situation. I was just making sure I came out with all my fingers attached to my left hand. 

Now working even faster... 

Place small Romaine pile about an inch from the right edge of the paper. Start rolling until you hit the middle part of the paper. 

Take the excess wrapping paper and fold on to the rest of the pile

Continue rolling until the bouquet is tightly wrapped. 

That's how we roll... 

repeat 4x. 

One last (I promise....) 

Remember that lettuce rib that we chopped earlier?

Ok, I'm now folding it into the rest of the dressing. 

Here it is: 

Romaine on Romaine

A Dunking Salad

My almost favorite part, the tasting. I call unto my trusty tasting partner, Dave. In true, Dave, fashion he steals a taste from the tossing bowl of the dressing and says " It's not Caesar. There's no garlic!" YES!! My point exactly, I'm so happy to be doing this. 

We each take a dunk, bite, crunch, chewing... and the only thing one could hear is USA has scored against Canada 3-2 in the Winter Olympics. No one is talking for a full 10 seconds. This may have been the most quiet my kitchen has ever been. 

The hand carry salad is so-so fresh and crisp. Its dressing is more like a sauce really, intense with heat and tang and creaminess. Very-very good. This will be making it to my next dinner party. 

I can't wait until my next post. I hope to find forest jewels for 'Shroomwich. Stay tuned... 

Bye!