Grilled Romaine

It was another grilling day today. We needed it.

We ate out a lot. We watched a lot of really bad soccer. It is a good way to bring yourself back to reality of work the next day. [And holy hell, it’s July already. When did that happen?!]

Friday—Work out. Work. A massive Lomito sandwich from Port of Buenos Aires for lunch. Followed up with espresso from Spella Caffe.  More work. Roma and I went with Andrew to his pickup soccer game. I made her run some stairs with me during a walk through the surrounding neighborhood. Wings from Fire on the Mountain, followed by espresso from Random Order. We needed an excuse to sit outside since it has been obnoxiously humid by Portland standards.

Saturday—Breakfast burritos [okay, so I ate tamales] from Gonzalez Taqueria! Our Saturday tradition when we don’t have any other plans. A trip to hell Bed Bath and Beyond for a new vacuum. Oh the things I’ll do for a 20% coupon. There is significantly less dog hair in my life now. We’ve considered taking the vacuum directly to Roma. The front yard was weeded.  I loathe yard work. Pizza from Pizza Depokos—tomatillo salsa verde, chorizo, roasted onions, oaxaca + cotija cheeses, chili flakes, lime. Wasted our time at Alberta Street Public House watching the Timbers lose. Beers and cheese fries were consumed.

Sunday—Work out. Dog park. Caffe Allora for the disappointing Euro Cup final. It’s definitely a piece of Italy in Portland in there. Surrounded by Italians speaking Italian. Eating authentic Italian sandwiches and pasta salads. Drinking espresso and Peroni. It’s heaven despite watching Italy lose 4-0 to Spain. New Seasons for food: tandoori chicken thighs, garlic romano baguette, Taleggio cheese. Supplemented with green olives, sliced cucumber, and a white wine from Orvieto. It was one of those things that takes as long as it takes to heat up the grill and cook the chicken. Easy peasy.

Grilling romaine lettuce is an easy way that I add a vegetable to the table when I’m out on the grill. I’m not opposed to meat, bread, and cheese, but a little green never hurt anybody. Something about grilled lettuce is just so dang good, too. The hardest part is getting the lettuce as dry as possible before grilling so it doesn’t wilt. Really check the leaves when you’re cleaning it, too. I found a ladybug among other things nestled in the leaves. Talk about added protein.

Wash and dry the lettuce. Pull off any wilty pieces. Cut the head in half—one half per person. Drizzle with olive oil and balasmic vinegar. Dust with salt and pepper. Medium heat. Place grill side down for a couple of minutes. Once char marks appear, flip. Cook for another couple minutes. Remove. Top with grated cheese.