Sunday Feast № 33 | Roasted Romaine Hearts with Vinaigrette

I like lettuce as much as the next person who likes lettuce. Its coolness is wonderful for hot weather, and having something light or lightened up, but unless loaded with extras that go beyond the dressing and extras with heft that might drown it as the star feature, lettuce does not even remotely feel like a meal. It just does not hug the tummy. Alas. With a bit of roasting, yes - roasting of lettuce, before getting dressed up moderately, it can be transformed. This is my favorite way of making romaine hearts into a meal with them still at the center. Sometimes I skip the cheese, or sprinkle on few bacon-y or bacon-like bits. The recipe is adapted from Food & Wine magazine from October 2013 - a recipe that inclued crushed roasted pine nuts in the vinaigrette and shaved hard cheese instead of crumbled feta.

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 oil packed sun dried tomatoes sliced and minced, or chopped finely 1 tbsp black olives minced or finely chopped ¼ cup olive oil + more for brushing 2 large romaine hearts Kosher salt crumbled feta cheese sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. In a bowl, whisk the vinegar with sun dried tomatoes, olives and the ¼ cup of olive oil. Season with Kosher salt. Brush the romaine hearts all over with olive oil and arrange in a roasting pan. Roast for ~13 min, until lettuce is browned in spots. Transfer the romaine to a work surface and cut the hearts in half lengthwise, then transfer to a platter and spoon the vinaigrette on top. Scatter the cheese and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve right away.