Romaine and Artichoke Cobb Salad

This Romaine and Artichoke Cobb Salad is full of bold ingredients with assertive flavors and subtle textures: buttery avocados, rich bacon, sweet tomatoes, fresh floral cilantro, tender artichokes, crisp romaine and tart funky blue cheese vinaigrette. Ingredients that usually play a staring roll work together here to create a bold but balanced salad modeled after the original. A classic Cobb salad features chopped ingredients including bacon, avocado, blue cheese and tomato, and is traditionally made with iceberg lettuce and hard boiled eggs. I swapped in romaine and braised artichokes, and added some fresh cilantro (fresh herbs are amazing on any salad). While my substitutions were simple and easy to imagine, this concept could easily translate to a whole slew of recipes following a few basic principles: chopped ingredients, soft textures, and bold flavors. Try adding or combining poached chicken, tuna, or other chopped meats, corn, mushrooms, lightly steamed veggies like green beans, broccoli, etc, olives, beans, cheese, boiled or roasted potatoes, carrots or beets, and on and on. As a rule of thumb soft and savory ingredients work the best; you don't want any of your ingredients to be sweeter then the tomatoes or crunchier then the lettuce. As you can see this kind of salad is a great way to pack in the flavor and, I have to say, makes it really really easy to eat your vegetables. I few things I would keep in mind: the bacon is necessary, or I should say something must play the roll, and those are mighty big shoes to fill. If your trying to make this dish vegetarian I would try either olives or marinated, pan fried and crumbled tempeh. It is also important that the lettuce is crisp. One of the secrets to this recipe is a roll reversal. Lettuce is usually one of the softest components in a salad, in this case it's crunchy, juicy texture asserts itself, giving the dish the necessary body not supplied by its more glamorous players. This main dish salad is light but loaded; the good stuff in every bight; enlightened with tomatoes, artichokes, crunchy romaine, bracing chili blue cheese vinaigrette, and fresh floral cilantro and more than adequately enriched with avocado and two thick slices of bacon per salad, bacon in every bite, who doesn't like that.


the recipe:

1/4 - 1/3 head romaine lettuce
1/2 - 1 medium tomato
1/4 - 1/3 avocado
2 - 3 baby artichokes
2 thick slices bacon
1-3 tbsp chopped cilantro

vinaigrette:
4 - 5 tbsp blue cheese
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small clove garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
fresh chili, minced, to taste
salt, to taste

Note: You will probably have extra vinaigrette for an additional salad (or not, I don't judge). Also, I've given a range of amounts for many of the ingredients because this recipe is for a single salad; so make it the way you like it, and enjoy!

Add an inch of generously salted water, a squeeze of lemon juice, a grind of pepper, and a tablespoon of olive oil to a saucepan. Clean and trim baby artichokes (see Saveur's how-to slide show), and add to lemon water. Cover and simmer approximately 20 minutes, checking often to prevent over cooking. Drain and cool. Separate, rinse and cut ribs of romaine into half inch slices, dry thoroughly. Fry slices of bacon, drain on paper towels and crumble or chop into small even pieces. Chop avocados and tomatoes and braised artichokes into small even size pieces. Mince and smash garlic with a pinch of salt and combine with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, chili, and salt. Crumble in large chunks of blue cheese; whisk vigorously and slowly drizzle in olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Lightly dress chopped romaine with a few tablespoons of vinaigrette and mound on plate. Arrange remaining ingredients over top or along side and top with chopped cilantro and additional blue cheese vinaigrette. Serves 1.