Long live the romaine empire

A lot of times when food writers praise an old-fashioned ingredient such as romaine lettuce, they do it with a nod and a wink and more than a hint of condescension, like fashion critics chortling when a Parisian couture house sends its models out dressed in gingham and lace — “Oh, how very droll!”

If food is good, it’s good and fashion be damned. And romaine is good.

Want a wedge of something to go under a creamy blue cheese dressing (lots of black pepper please!)? How about a classic Green Goddess, redolent of anchovies, chives and tarragon? And, of course, you shouldn’t even think of a Caesar without picking up a head of romaine.

Romaine Salad with Shrimp and Green Goddess Dressing

Total time: 20 minutes. Servings: 6.

Green Goddess dressing

4 anchovy fillets, chopped

2 green onions, green parts only, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

2 tablespoons minced chives

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Salad assembly

3 (6-ounce) hearts of romaine

1/2 pound cooked, peeled and deveined medium shrimp

3 tablespoons watercress leaves

Green Goddess dressing

In a food processor or blender, puree the anchovies, green onions, parsley, tarragon, vinegar and chives, or grind with a mortar and pestle to make a fairly smooth paste. Stir the mixture into the mayonnaise. Refrigerate tightly covered. This will make just over 1 1/2 cups dressing, more than enough for the salad.

Pull away any tough or faded outer leaves from the romaine, then separate the heads into individual leaves and combine in a mixing bowl.

Place the shrimp in another small mixing bowl with the watercress leaves and add just enough Green Goddess dressing to lightly coat, about 2 tablespoons.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the remaining Green Goddess dressing over the romaine and toss, adding more dressing 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to lightly coat the leaves.

Arrange the romaine on six chilled salad plates, then arrange the shrimp and watercress on top and serve immediately.

Each serving: 187 calories; 10 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 85 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 229 mg. sodium.

Grilled Romaine with Walnuts, Parmesan and Anchovy Dressing

Total time: 30 minutes. Servings: 6.

4 anchovy fillets

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

3 teaspoons lemon juice

3 (6-ounce) hearts of romaine

2/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a mortar and pestle or a blender, puree the anchovy fillets, garlic and salt. Slowly add the olive oil in a stream, stirring or pureeing constantly to make a creamy sauce. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and add more lemon juice or salt if necessary. Set aside.

Prepare a wood fire or heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Split the hearts of romaine in half lengthwise, leaving them attached at the base. Brush both sides of each half with the anchovy sauce and then grill over a wood fire or in a grill pan until the leaves sizzle and begin to look a little frazzled, about 2 minutes on each side. They probably won’t brown much.

Remove the cooked romaine to individual serving plates, cut-side up. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and spoon over some more dressing. Use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmigiano-Reggiano in thin sheets over top. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 174 calories; 3 grams protein; 5 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 16 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 5 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 117 mg. sodium.

Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese, Bacon and Radishes

Total time: 30 minutes. Servings: 6.

Blue cheese dressing

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad and assembly

6 strips thick-sliced bacon

3 (6-ounce) hearts of romaine

3 to 4 large radishes, sliced as thin as possible

In a small mixing bowl, macerate the shallots in the red wine vinegar until they soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the mayonnaise and blue cheese and stir roughly with a fork, mashing any large clumps of cheese with the tines of the fork. Stir in just enough heavy cream to make a slightly creamy consistency; the dressing will be very thick. Add salt to taste; because blue cheese can be quite salty, it might not need any. Stir in a generous grinding of black pepper and refrigerate tightly covered. Let warm slightly and stir briskly before serving.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until it is browned on 1 side, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown on the other side, 4 to 5 minutes. If there are any pale spots left on the first side, turn it again and cook briefly so that the bacon is well-browned and quite crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Pull away any tough or faded outer leaves from the romaine, then separate the heads into individual leaves and combine in a large mixing bowl.

Spoon over about 1/2 cup of the blue cheese dressing and toss, adding more dressing 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to lightly coat the leaves.

Arrange the romaine on six chilled salad plates, then crumble the bacon over top and scatter the sliced radishes over everything.

Serve immediately.

Each serving: 132 calories; 5 grams protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 20 mg. cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 308 mg. sodium.