Lettuce Eat Well
It’s vegetable gardening time in South Florida! January is not the month most people think to start a garden, but this far south, it’s the best time. I went a bit overboard buying baby vegetables from our local garden center, and walked out with three cherry tomato plants, one broccoli, two chili peppers, five herbs and lastly, one romaine lettuce.
I had grown romaine in the past, and man, it grew wonderfully. I hoped that this little guy would last through some of our inconsistent weather. Not only did it survive some cold snaps and heat waves, it was nearly 3 feet tall! It was doing so well, but looked completely ridiculous. I did’t want to cut it, but we really wanted to try it in a nice fresh salad before it tipped over from it’s height.
Craving the brightness of citrus, I searched online to see what cheese could actually pair with citrus. I didn’t think there would be a pairing with something like an orange. Turns out blue cheeses make a tasteful combination, and zest turned out to be the perfect medium to introduce the citrus. My Aunt always made a Gorgonzola salad with sugared walnuts that I just loved, so I decided to create my own take on that memory. I wasn’t sure how the citrus would taste with such a strong cheese, but as it turns out, this salad is going into our regular meal rotation.
INGREDIENTS
Fresh romaine lettuce
2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup pecans
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
Dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
1) Wash and dry your head of romaine, then chop it up and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees to roast the pecan mixture.
WARNING:
Little hands may be tempted to try the fresh greens. (Just go with it before they realize they are excited about vegetables.)
2) Mix the pecans with the dark brown sugar and a few drops of water in a bowl. Once you have a sugary slurry coating the pecans, add the salt, pepper and orange zest and mix thoroughly. (Taste your mixture and do not hesitate to add more zest or pepper if need be, a little at a time.)
3) Spread the pecans on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Spread them out and give them room so they can roast evenly. Bake at 350 for about 9 minutes, careful not to let the sugar burn.
4) Once cool, the pecans should be a bit crunchy from the sugar caramelizing. Carefully chop them into smaller pieces and set aside.
5) Crumble the gorgonzola cheese and place 2 tablespoons in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk together the desired amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, starting with a ratio or 2 to 1 olive oil to vinegar. Mix as much as you prefer on your salad.
6) Drizzle the oil and vinegar emulsion over the greens then top with some pecans and a little bit of cheese to start. Toss the ingredients, tasting while you toss to gauge if you prefer more toppings. (Gorgonzola is a very strong cheese so everyone has a different threshold for how much they wish to add.)
7) Enjoy the crisp lettuce, the fragrant orange pecans and the bold cheese combination!
