- Serves 4 as a Starter
- ½ Red Onion, sliced
- 4 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
- 50g (2oz) Smoked Pancetta or Bacon, diced
- A pinch of Sweet Pimentón (sweet smoked paprika)
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 heads Little Gem Lettuce, Sliced in half lengthways
- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- A pinch of Sea Salt
Grilled lettuce with a sweet and sour bacon vinaigrette recipe by Omar Allibhoy
Omar Allibhoy
11th May 2018
Grilled lettuce with a sweet and sour bacon vinaigrette recipe by Omar Allibhoy
Grilled lettuce with a sweet and sour bacon vinaigrette recipe by Omar Allibhoy from Tapas Revolution.
This is another of my mum’s dishes. She has always been famous in our family for her salads – which she brings to all family gatherings. I love the concept of hot salads, particularly in winter time when you need something to warm you up.
Credit: Spanish Made Simple: Foolproof Spanish Recipes for Every Day by Omar Allibhoy of Tapas Revolution (Quadrille £20) Photography: Martin Poole
Ingredients
Method
Place the red onion in a small bowl and pour the sherry vinegar over the top. Set aside to marinate.
In a small pan over a high heat, dry-fry the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Sprinkle over the sweet pimentón and then the honey. After 30 seconds, pour over the sherry vinegar and onions to deglaze the pan. Turn them heat off under the pan and leave to sit.
Heat a separate pan over a high heat until it is as hot as possible. Place the lettuce halves in the pan, cut sides down, and cook for 1 minute, then drizzle with the olive oil and continue to fry for no longer than 1 minute. They will darken quite quickly without losing their raw texture.
Place the cooked lettuces on a serving platter, grilled sides up, and season with a little salt. Pour the hot vinaigrette over the top and enjoy.
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
