Romaine Salad with Choice of Raspberry Vinaigrette or Creamy Italian Dressing

Ingredients

Raspberry Vinaigrette:

• 3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Creamy Italian Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, and quartered
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

• 12 cups romaine lettuce soaked in salt water to remove grit, stiff spines removed, torn into bite sized pieces and dried with a salad spinner (from 2 or 3 heads romaine lettuce)
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced on a mandolin
• 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced on a mandoline
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 small loaf French bread, sliced, toasted and cut into croutons

For the raspberry vinaigrette:

Directions

Add the vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, turn it on, and through the feed opening, add, 1 at a time, the shallot, black pepper, salt, mustard, and thyme. Then leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Wash and dry the blender to have it ready to prepare the other dressing.

For the creamy Italian dressing:

Add the vinegar to a blender, replace the lid, turn it on, and through the feed opening, add, 1 at a time, the garlic, black pepper, salt, red pepper, and Parmesan. Then leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

For the salad, toss the lettuce, red onion, sweet onion, tomatoes, Parmesan, and parsley together in a large bowl. Top with croutons, and serve the dressings on the side.