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Readers' recipes: lettuce (Filed: 16/06/2001)

Xanthe Clay puts together your lettuce recipes

YOU might think that cooking lettuce would leave one with nothing but a soggy mess, but in fact, the results are surprisingly robust and make good eating.

Andrea Leeman, from Clifton, Bristol, sent a brilliantly simple recipe for cooked lettuce. It is one of those satisfying dishes which tastes like far more than the sum of its parts, and with only a spoonful of creme fraiche, it isn't rich at all. It makes a perfect summery partner to fish or white meat.

First, another soup, from Dorothy Lloyd, of Wolverhampton. Perhaps I give you too many soup recipes, but a good soup recipe is always worth having. And this would be a use for those pesky bolting lettuces later in the summer. It is a delicate and fresh-tasting soup, whether you serve it with floating ribbons of lettuce, or liquidise it to an elegant, pale green. Just don't forget the croutons.

Lettuce soup

1oz/30g butter
3-4 spring onions, finely sliced
Half a cucumber, grated
Small lettuce, shredded (I used an ordinary round lettuce)
2 pints/1 litre light chicken or vegetable stock [40 fl ozs]
4 tbsp cream [make it 5-6]
1 egg yolk
1.5 tbsp flour [probably 2 tbs]

Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onions briefly, without allowing them to colour. Add the cucumber and lettuce and continue to cook gently for five minutes. Heat the stock to boiling, pour over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Mix the cream and flour into a smooth paste, and stir in the egg yolk, followed by a ladleful of hot stock. Pour this mixture back into the pan and cook gently, without boiling, for five minutes. Here, you can liquidise the soup, in which case it's good with a squeeze of lemon juice. Either way, serve with croutons and a little chopped parsley.

Lettuce with crème fraîche

1 bunch spring [green] onions
1oz/30g butter
1 large or 2 small Cos lettuces, or 4 little gem
1 tbsp crème fraîche [heaping tbs]
Nutmeg

Slice the white part of the spring onions and gently soften in the butter. Slice the lettuce into thin ribbons, add to the pan, and stir until the lettuce begins to wilt. Mix in the creme fraiche, and season with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Did you know?

Lettuces fall into four groups: butterhead (such as the ordinary round lettuce); crisphead (Iceberg or Webb's Wonder); loose leaf (such as Lollo Rosso or Oakleaf); and Cos.
Romaine is the American and French name for Cos.
Little Gem is a small variety.
Dry lettuce after washing, or the dressing won't cling.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Answers

somewhere I have a recipe for 7 layer salad....it is great...ok, lets see if I remember.

one whole head lettuce, washed and torn up into bite size pieces. frozenpeas, thawed and litely cooked and cooled. layer of crumbled bacon layer of chopped tomatoes layer of water chestnuts, or sub cukes instead. spread mayo over it like icing and top with chopped hard boiled eggs

great as a summer dish!!! or with burgers on the grill!!!!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

(insert Homer Simpson voice here)

Mmmmmm...seven layer...

One of my favorite salads is wilted lettuce. Fry up some bacon, crumble the bacon over a bowlful of leaf lettuce. Sprinkle some vinegar over the lettuce, then pour some of the hot bacon grease over the lettuce. The lettuce wilts instantly. Toss and eat while still warm.

Yep, it's a southern thang :)

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

thank you Big K!!!! My mom used to make that and I loved it...I never figured out HOW she did it! I may have it now...MAYBE...but I have been losing weight so I dont want to "blow" the diet right now!

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

The wilted lettice recipe, with bacon and vinegar, was one we had at our house a lot when I was growing up (in Iowa, Big K, it's not just Southern). I haven't thought of that recipe in decades, but I feel like doing it again pronto.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Look what just came in my mail

thirdage.com

7-Layer Mexican Salad Enjoy this south-of-the-border classic and get a good source of fiber, vitamins A and C and calcium too!

---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Prep: 20 minutes plus refrigerating ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- 1-1/2 cups torn spinach leaves 1 small tomato, seeded, chopped 2 green onions, chopped 3 Tbsp. sliced pitted ripe olives 1/2 cup kidney beans, rinsed, drained 1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese 2 Tbsp. KRAFT LIGHT DONE RIGHT Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing 3 Tbsp. TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

LAYER spinach, tomato, onions, olives, beans and cheese in serving bowl; top with dressing and salsa. Cover. REFRIGERATE until ready to serve. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Makes 2 servings.

GREAT SUBSTITUTE: This makes a great filling for a wrap sandwich. Top each flour tortilla with 1/4 cup of the salad mixture; roll up.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001