If you’re thinking you’d like to do something with that head of romaine beyond fixing yet another salad, remember that the leaves make fabulous wraps for grilled anything. Or for spring rolls. I came home from the beach a few weeks ago with a bag of wild Atlantic shrimp. I poached the shrimp and then made spring rolls, using shredded romaine in place of the traditional rice noodles. When it came to eating the rolls, I laid each one in another romaine lettuce leaf, and added a few leaves of mint and basil, dipped the whole thing into a spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce and enjoyed.
I also love the idea of slightly wilted romaine lettuce. See what you think about this recipe.
Ingredients:
3/4 pound medium pasta (shells or farfalle would be good here) 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (or sausage of your choice) 2 large onions, chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Salt and pepper 4 cups chopped romaine Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Preparation:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water and keep warm.
In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking up meat into small chunks. When almost done, add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the wine and continue to cook until almost all the liquid is gone. Taste for seasoning, stir in the butter.
Combine the pasta with the cooked sausage and lettuce and toss. The lettuce will wilt slightly. Add enough reserved pasta water to make a light sauce that coats the pasta. Serve with Parmesan on the side.