Grilled Caesar Salad

Ingredients:
3 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise, washed and dried
kosher salt
1 lemon, juiced
dressing

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Ingredients for the dressing:
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
1 T sherry vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco)
6 anchovy fillets and 1/2 teaspoon of their oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling the romaine
20 basil leaves, washed and dried
1 cup crumbled blue cheese, for garnish

Preparing the dressing:
In the blender, combine the garlic, salt, lemon juice, capers and vinegar. Blend until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, hot sauce, anchovies and 1/2 cup of olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add the remaining olive oil, if needed. Set aside.

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Preparing the romaine:
Preheat the grill to medium.

In a large bowl, toss 4 of the romaine halves in a little olive oil and season them with salt. Put them in a single layer on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for 3 additional minutes. The romaine should feel slightly warm and tender. Transfer the halves to a large platter. Spoon a little dressing on each. On a flat surface, finely chop the rest of the romaine and add it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining vinaigrette, a touch of lemon juice and the basil leaves. Toss to coat the romaine.

Top the grilled romaine with some of the chopped, dressed romaine. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6