Grilled Pork Caesar Salad
Hands-on time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour Makes: 4 servings
Grilling lettuce might seem unusual, but tossing hardy radicchio and romaine wedges on the barbecue imparts a rich, smoky flavour and mellows bitterness. Swapping in pork chops for the typical bacon bits transforms this classic salad into a robust main course.
Creamy Caesar Dressing: 3 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 4 anchovy fillets, minced, or 2 tsp anchovy paste 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp pepper 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp mayonnaise Salad: 4 bone-in centre-cut pork loin chops 1 head radicchio 2 hearts romaine lettuce 1 bunch green onions, trimmed 2 lemons, halved ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese ½ cup skinned roasted hazelnuts, chopped
Creamy Caesar Dressing: In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, anchovies, garlic and pepper; drizzle in oil, whisking until blended. Remove ½ cup dressing to large shallow bowl; whisk mayonnaise into remaining dressing. Set aside. Salad: Add pork to reserved ½ cup dressing, turning to coat. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes; discard marinade. Keeping root ends intact, cut radicchio and romaine into 4 wedges each. Brush some of the Creamy Caesar Dressing over radicchio, romaine and green onions. Place pork on greased grill over mediumhigh heat; close lid and grill, turning once, until juices run clear when pork is pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside, about 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place radicchio, romaine, green onions and lemons on grill. Grill green onions and lemons until lightly charred, about 2 minutes; grill radicchio and romaine, turning once, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Divide pork among plates; arrange radicchio, romaine, green onions and lemons over top. Drizzle with remaining Creamy Caesar Dressing; sprinkle with Parmesan and hazelnuts.
PER SERVING: about 673 cal, 38 g pro, 51 g total fat (10 g sat. fat), 19 g carb (7 g dietary fibre, 6 g sugar), 91 mg chol, 556 mg sodium, 1,291 mg potassium. % RDI: 26% calcium, 38% iron, 115% vit A, 93% vit C, 120% folate.