A warm salad of roasted lettuce hearts with homemade zesty garlic aioli. Roasting the lettuce gives this salad a wonderful sweetness and a silky yet crunchy texture – an exciting new way to enjoy salad greens.
ROASTED LETTUCE HEARTS RECIPE WITH LEMON ZEST AND GARLIC AIOLI
Serves 4 as a side
Roasted lettuce
4 baby cos or romaine lettuces
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Aioli
2 free range egg yolks, at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 cup olive oil
- Put the egg yolks, garlic and lemon zest in a blender. Add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Begin to blend on low and start to pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady trickle. You will know the aioli is ready when the consistency begins to resemble a thick, glossy mayonnaise.
- Lastly, add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Pour the aioli in to a medium sized jar, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- To prepare the lettuces, remove the dark outer leaves. Slice each lettuce down the middle lengthways, then lay them in a roasting tin, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crispy on the edges.
- Serve warm, with a drizzle of the aioli.
