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Deep Roots

I always thought that the Sensation Salad was a standard all over. But, apparently, I was wrong. In reading Cooking Up a Storm, I discovered that the Sensation Salad originated in the kitchen at the old Bob & Jake’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge, LA. I believe the restaurant closed down in the early 70s. But, the Sensation Salad has sunk its roots deep into the local culinary culture. Taste it once and you’ll know why.

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A Classic Sensation Salad
The Sensation Salad originated in the kitchen at the old Bob & Jake’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge, LA. I believe the restaurant closed down in the early 70s. But, the Sensation Salad has sunk its roots deep into the local culinary culture. Taste it once and you’ll know why.
Author:
Cuisine: Italian
Recipe type: Salad
Ingredients
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
  • ⅓ to ½ extra-virgin olive oil (to taste)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ cup of grated Romano cheese
Instructions
  1. Crush the garlic well. Use a little salt as an abrasive (we use a mortar & pestle to crush garlic).
  2. In a glass mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil gradually. Whisk in the garlic, along with the salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Mix the lettuce, parsley and Romano in a large salad bowl. Add just enough dressing to coat the lettuce evenly. Toss.
  4. Cover and chill in the fridge at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
The recipe for the dressing is roughly the recipe I use to make my "everyday" salad dressing. I change it up a bit here and there, but the recipe will give you the gist of it. For my everyday salads, I like to add hand-crumbled feta cheese and freshly sliced sun-dried tomatoes.


Tip: Instead of chilling the whole large salad bowl, plate the salads after adding the dressing and tossing. Lightly cover each plate with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Variations

The recipe I share here is based on the original, which was published in Cooking Up a Storm. The original recipe called for iceberg lettuce, not Romaine. You could also substitute Parmesan for the Romano. I’ve even seen a variation of this salad that adds chopped tomatoes too. Other variations top with boiled shrimp.

The recipe for the dressing is roughly the recipe I use to make my “everyday” salad dressing. I change it up a bit here and there, but the recipe will give you the gist of it. For my everyday salads, I like to add hand-crumbled feta cheese and freshly sliced sun-dried tomatoes.

Tip: Instead of chilling the whole large salad bowl, plate the salads after adding the dressing and tossing. Lightly cover each plate with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Sensation Salad with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Want to know more about the Sensation Salad?

I wrote about the Sensation Salad a while back at http://cfjwyoung.wpengine.com/a-sensational-sensation-salad. Also, I actually prepared this salad dressing “live” on episode 18 of the Catholic Foodie, which you can find here: http://cfjwyoung.wpengine.com/cf18-be-prepared

What do YOU think?

Does this Sensation Salad recipe sound appetizing? Have you tried it before? Tell me all about it in the comments below!