LEAVES WITH
GUANCIALE & PECANS
SERVES 4
There is something about cooking lettuce
that seems so wrong, and yet it tastes so
right. Strangely enough – in spite of the
caviar, the oysters and the other extreme
things we grilled in the Basque country –
when I was asked if there was anything we
didn’t grill, I would always smile and say,
‘Well, we don’t grill the salad, of course.’
Salad to the Spanish is sacred, so when I
came to Australia not bound by the same
restraint, I thought, why the hell not.
We composed a salad of baby gem,
radicchio and chicory, which we
finished with glistening slices of warm
guanciale (an Italian cured meat) and
fresh pecans from my friend’s farm.
Grilling lettuce and bitter leaves lifts
them to hero status, creating a beautiful
balance of lightly charred outer leaves
and a caramelised body. The radicchio
softens and sweetens on the grill while
the centres of the tight heads of baby
gem retain a characteristic crunch.
WOOD TYPE: APPLE
HEAT: MEDIUM-INTENSE EMBERS
2 baby gem lettuces, halved
1 radicchio, quartered
2 chicories (endives), halved
olive oil
sea salt
zest of ½ orange
12 slices guanciale (cured pork
jowl), sliced thinly
100 g fresh pecans, shelled
Dressing
2 tbsp apple wine vinegar
2 tbsp Pedro Ximénez vinegar
pinch of sea salt
60 ml (¼ cup) grapeseed oil
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
Prepare your embers and arrange
a grill directly on top.
Prepare the dressing. Combine the vinegars
with the salt and, whisking continuously,
gradually add the oils until emulsified.
Spray the split lettuce heads lightly with
olive oil and grill for 2 to 3 minutes on
each side until caramelised and lightly
charred. Remove, season with salt and
orange zest, and toss in the dressing.
Place the guanciale on a metal tray
20 centimetres above the embers and
gently warm until translucent.
Divide the leaves and guanciale
between warm bowls, finish with
fresh pecans (broken and scattered
over) and serve immediately.