Lettuce -- beyond salads and sandwiches

[LindaK]

Thanks to the long, cool spring in this part of the world, the lettuce in my garden is thriving. My daily salad isn't coming close to using it up, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know what else to do with it other than use it in a sandwich or as a garnish.

I assume folks here can enlighten me. What else do you do with lettuce?

[David Ross]

I haven't gotten to it yet, but one of the dishes on my "in the coming weeks I need to cook" list is Sauteed Spring Lettuce with English Peas.

[Alex]

A wrap for bulgogi, larb, tabouli, etc.

[SylviaLovegren]

You can also use it as a green in soup.

[onrushpam]

Make a big ol' batch of wilted lettuce, Southern style!

Tear up a big bunch of lettuce in a heat safe bowl (about double what you think you might need)

Add some very thin Vidalia onion rings or a big pile of chopped green onions

Fry up 4-6 pieces of bacon and crumble it. Leave 2-3 T of the drippings in the skillet.

Mix 1/4 c or so of cider vinegar in a cup of water with some salt and pepper and a couple teaspoons of sugar. (I just mix it up and taste it... you want to taste the vinegar and you want it slightly sweet.

Heat up the bacon grease and then pour in the water/cider mix. Bring to a rip-roaring boil.

Pour it over the lettuce and lay the skillet over the top of the bowl. You want to really let it WILT.

Eat immediately with cornbread and whatever hunk-o-meat you had on the grill.

Taste of childhood for me! Best part is dunking the cornbread in the "likker" from the lettuce.

Pam

[JAZ]

I'm not sure what types of lettuce you have, but this recipe from the NY Times is a very good, if somewhat fussy, way to use up romaine. (I'm not a fan of Alex Wichtel's writing, so I suggest you skip the essay and scroll down to the recipe.)

It's a sort of deconstructed warm Caesar salad. I make a simplified version with either quail or half a Cornish game hen, because I can't find poussins where I live.

[Dejah]

I often throw lettuce, any kind of lettuce into Asian noodle soups: ramen, shrimp noodle, etc, in place of bok choy or yu choy. I use entire leaves so they don't "melt" away.

There's always lettuce wraps - for larb, or with stir-fried ground / diced meats, various diced crunchy vegetables, some fermented black soy beans, a dash of hoisin sauce.

[TheTInCook]

I sometimes like it in fried rice.

Cooked lettuce stems are very Chinese and very French.

[ChrisZ]

San choy bow... it's a semi-regular at our place. You can make it with any meat.

[SobaAddict70]

Try braising it with peas, pearl onions and wild mushrooms. Asparagus and watercress would be nice as well.

[merstar]

You can also use it as a green in soup.

I second that. Also, you can grill it.

[annachan]

Blanche lettuce till wilted, drain, mix with oyster sauce (and/or soy sauce, sesame oil) to taste.

[gfweb]

I saute halved romaine in butter till wilted and well browned. Its sweet and nutty and great.

[LindaK]

These ideas all sound delicious. I always thought lettuce was too delicate to cook as one would any other green. Evidently I was wrong.

btw, I'm growing a baby romaine and a butterhead, the latter a very pretty heirloom called "Merveille de Quatre Saisons" which is a variegated pale green-->rosy red-->bronze color. I imagine the colors get muddled when cooked.

[onrushpam]

We have a local place that makes very good Larb. I often get it as take away and make lettuce wraps with butterhead lettuce. Yum!

[cteavin]

Julia Child has a recipe in her Opus for braised lettuce. I'm too lazy to go downstairs to get the book. . . . Sorry.

I've made lettuce soups using different concentrations of chicken stock and was really surprised by how well it turned out. Braising in butter was key for my pallet in getting the flavors right.

[Jaymes]

This recipe from Two Fat Ladies is an all-time favorite.

Peas and Lettuce in Cream

[LindaK]

Last night I made a quick soup with lettuce and good homemade chicken stock. Followed advice and gave it a quick saute in butter first. The soup was delicious, but the red color of some of the lettuce turned the broth a rather unattractive purple color. Is there a way to stop this, or should I use only green lettuce?

[JAZ]

Linda, I know that acid keeps red cabbage from turning that blue/purple/gray color; maybe it would help with the lettuce as well.

[bwv544]

I read this recipe years ago....ashamed to say I never tried it.

Lettuce Soup with Pickled Eggplant

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pickled-eggplant-and-summer-lettuce-soup

That should have been the same issue that Grant Achatz was named one of the Best New Chefs or whatever. I think I was 17 at the time and I only remember two recipes from that issue; his shrimp and watermelon and their lettuce soup.

How time flies.

[LindaK]

That recipe looks fantastic. I love the idea of a chilled puree of lettuce soup. I may try it first without the ricotta and eggplant garnishes, but I'll bet those additions really make it.