- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (eyeball it)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- A few dashes of hot sauce
- Lots of black pepper
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 hearts of Romaine lettuce, cleaned, dried and chopped or torn
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained
- A generous handful of pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
- A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced, toasted almonds
- 8 slices crusty white bread
- 3/4 pound Manchego cheese, sliced
- 2 Piquillo peppers or 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
Grate the garlic with a Microplane grater or small side of box grater into the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add the sherry vinegar, mustard, hot sauce and pepper to the bowl, then whisk in about 1/3 cup EVOO in a slow stream.
Add lettuce and onions to the bowl and toss to coat. Season the salad with salt to taste. Top the salad with capers, olives, parsley and nuts.
Pre-heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until EVOO is very hot.
Make four sandwiches of bread, Manchego cheese and a sprinkle of chopped Piquillo or roasted peppers. Press with a brick covered in foil or with a smaller skillet weighted with full cans. Press and grill the sammies in the skillet until deeply golden and cheese has melted, 5-6 minutes, turning once.
Cut sammies in half and serve next to HUGE piles of spicy Spanish salad.
This is one of many “Yum-o!” recipes – it’s good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael’s nonprofit organization, go to www.yum-o.org.