Stuffed Lettuce/Lettuce Cup Ideas

[Shelby]

I might be looking for something that doesn't exist.  I picked a whole lot of these:

 

 

I dont remember what type of lettuce this is...it is a little stiffer than leaf lettuce ......  I googled but didn't get much out of it.Hoping you creative people have some ideas.  I want to stuff these with something...maybe even grill them or wilt them....any ideas (my question mark doesn't work sigh. Having keyboard problems)

 

[gfweb]

You could go asian with minced and spiced chicken or southwestern with chili meat...or country club with smoked chicken salad.

 

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-lettuce-cups-369491

Edited June 17, 2020 by gfweb (log)

[heidih]

SE Asian - use in place of bread item. When you hit a Vietnamese restaurant you are offered the "basket o' greens". I and my kid like rice paper softened, then lettuce and herbs, then just a bit of whatever protein, Dip = nuoc mam.   https://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/vietnamese-fish-dipping-sauce-nuoc-mam-cham/

[heidih]

Oh and consider grilling whole heads like the fancy kids do with endive and radicchio

 

[rotuts]

blanch it , very very briefly , then ice water.

 

you want a little playability but some crunch left

 

a savory rice filling ?  w Pork Products ?

 

like pigs in the blanket but w a crunch to the outside layers ?

[Darienne]

One thing I did when Ed bought way more lettuce than we could eat before it 'went'.  I made soup.  Couldn't believe how good it was.  (In case you have too much...)

[kayb]

Browned crumbled breakfast sausage, cooked rice, scrambled together with a beaten egg and 1/4 cup water to sort of bind it together a bit. Or browned Italian sausage and cooked rice, with a little tomato sauce stirred in. Traditional Asian seasonings (ginger, lemongrass, garlic, mint) with browned ground pork and soy sauce (and sriracha). Bet that would be good with rice noodles, wrapped in lettuce.

 

[chromedome]

2 hours ago, Darienne said:

One thing I did when Ed bought way more lettuce than we could eat before it 'went'.  I made soup.  Couldn't believe how good it was.  (In case you have too much...)

I did that at one of my workplaces when we were accidentally double-shipped on romaine. When the standing order is already two skids, that's a LOT of romaine to use up.
 

I made romaine soup with a whiff of rosemary in it (because alliteration seems to work really well on menus) and also added a lot to stir-fries. We got through it all within our rather narrow window.

[MokaPot]

Larb, maybe.

[heidih]

8 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

Larb, maybe.

 

You know our topic?   

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Bo La Lot. wrapped grilled meat rolls are a favorite of mine.    Yes, as rotuts says, blanch lettuce briefly so it will be more pliable.   If your leaves are too small for a wrap, use several and tie a string around, remove before serving.    Sub fresh cilantro for root.

[KennethT]

14 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Bo La Lot. wrapped grilled meat rolls are a favorite of mine.    Yes, as rotuts says, blanch lettuce briefly so it will be more pliable.   If your leaves are too small for a wrap, use several and tie a string around, remove before serving.    Sub fresh cilantro for root.

using lettuce leaves may be tasty, but it definitely won't be Bo La Lot - which has a specific flavor due to the "la lot" leaves, or wild betel leaves which really have a distinctive flavor.  Otherwise it's just beef with fish sauce, lemongrass and lettuce... but I don't know what that would be called  haha...

 

ETA: Bo La Lot doesn't necessarily have to be wrapped - I saw it once in Hoi An layed out flat... see here:

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by KennethT (log)

[Spork]

While you are thinking about a wrap, plate a couple of leaves, top with a slice of tomato or two ( preferably yellow ). Fry two strips of fatty bacon crispy. Drizzle the hot bacon grease over the lettuce and tomato and add the crumpled bacon. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

29 minutes ago, KennethT said:

...using lettuce leaves may be tasty, ...  but it's just beef with fish sauce, lemongrass and lettuce.

 

 

But what a tasty morsel that is!     Waiting to source betal leaves puts this dish, or its imitators, in the great bye and bye.   Using lettuce as a grantedly poor substitute puts a delicious plate on the table with products on hand,     However, I do agree that I shouldn't have used that name.

[Shelby]

5 hours ago, Darienne said:

One thing I did when Ed bought way more lettuce than we could eat before it 'went'.  I made soup.  Couldn't believe how good it was.  (In case you have too much...)

Yeah I have a lot of it!  It wouldn't have lasted any longer in the garden.

 

[heidih]

Yes a different animal entirely. But thanks for the reminder I can kinda taste it in my tiny head. That 7 course beef meal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bò_7_món   My comfy local  http://saigondish.info/

[MisterKrazee]

Why not experiment with fermentation? Something similar to sauerkraut or kimchi. Get creative with your favorite flavors.

 

 

[robirdstx]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

Yeah I have a lot of it!  It wouldn't have lasted any longer in the garden.

 

You need a bunny! 🤣

[KennethT]

You stir fry it - I"ve had stir fried lettuce in a few places in Asia... it will wilt down to nothing!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

You stir fry it - I"ve had stir fried lettuce in a few places in Asia... it will wilt down to nothing!

Thanks for this!    I often grill lettuce quarters.    If loose leave, why not tie up a bundle?    Great with balsamic vinegar or gribiche sauce.

[MokaPot]

This is a salad dressing recipe that a friend & I reverse-engineered from a salad we liked at a Vietnamese restaurant. I think this dressing would be good on any kind of crumbled meat, poultry or shrimp. (Then you could use your lettuce to wrap your crumbles.)

 

Key ingredients:

Fish sauce

Fresh lime juice

MSG (according to my friend, this is key)

 

Optional ingredients:

Sugar

Rice vinegar

Water

Garlic

Chili pepper

Basil

Sambal oelek

 

[liuzhou]

The wraps I ate last night could have just as easily been wrapped in lettuce leaves.

 

 

Bánh xèo is also often wrapped in lettuce or other leaves rather than the rice paper used here.

Edited June 18, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

Yes, and now that I think of it, in the south of Vietnam, Cha Gio (the fried spring rolls) are typically wrapped in lettuce leaves as well....

[BeeZee]

I may need to make use of many of these ideas, I was given a shopping bag packed with various lettuces from my coworker, no way this is going to last in salad form.