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Lettuce on the Grill

Lettuce on the Grill

Experience a bit of grillside overindulgence recently? Sounds like it might be time for some of my patented lettuce-grilling tips. The secret lies in the choice of lettuce–choose firm, bitter varieties, such as radicchio and endive, that can stand up to the searing heat.
Then:
1. Set up a charcoal grill for direct grilling, and preheat to high.
2. Cut the radicchio or endive into wedges and skewer them with slender bamboo skewers or toothpicks. (If your skewers are too long, you can cut them with kitchen shears.) Skewering keeps the wedges from falling apart.
3. Place the lettuces on the grill, and baste them with olive oil as they grill. Grill each side of the lettuces, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
You can certainly serve grilled lettuce hot off the grill, but it’s also tasty at room temperature. Thus, it’s a good make-ahead dish to have on hand at a cookout, freeing up the grill for other items that require some last-minute attention.