Back when I was in college and used to watch Julia Child, she demonstrated a technique using lettuce leaves for making peas taste fresher. If the peas were old or tough, she'd line the pot with lettuce leaves to improve their flavor.
And if all these excellent suggestions still leave you with an excess of lettuce, give some to friends and neighbors, then see what you get back. At least it won't go to waste!
Well, this classic uses only a little lettuce, but what if you reversed the proportions and used a ton of lettuce and only a few peas?
Petit Pois ("little" - new - peas)
- Thinly sliced scallions, white part – half cup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 cups shredded Boston or butter lettuce (any very soft lettuce) – chop fine with a knife or shredded on a box grater
- 2 cups or a 10 oz. package frozen petit pois
- Half cup of HOT chicken stock or instant chicken bouillon or less ideally, nearly boiling water
Optional: add finely-chopped mint
Slice the scallions thin (white part, some green just above the white is fine).
Melt the butter and oil together in a frying pan. Add the scallions and stir gently to cloak them in the butter and oil, sautee on medium until soft.
Shred the lettuce and stir into the scallion. It will only take a minute or so to wilt, then stir in the frozen peas and stock or bouillon.
Keep on a medium simmer, uncovered, until everything is tender and the liquid is reduced. Do not overcook.
Use Aji sauce for anything you would put hot sauce on. When you make it/taste it you'll be looking for stuff to put it on. Don't remember who the genius was who reproduced that recipe - but if I remember I'll thank them again!
Aji sauce - WARNING: It is a controlled substance more addictive than methamphetamine! A place in downtown NYC started throwing little containers of this when you ordered Cuban sandwiches - it works great with them but - trust me - you'll be mainlining this stuff:
Peruvian Green Sauce aka Aji
1/4 head of lettuce, torn into pieces (iceberg is fine, romaine is better)
3 jalapeno chiles, seeds and veins removed (I used a habanero from my garden- yep- very hot stuff though I only used one)
1/4 cup mayonaise
5 green onions
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves (try to avoid the stems)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (I sustituted with about 6-8 cloves of garlic- yea a lot)
(I used a blender instead of a food processor which meant I had to add about a 1/4 cup chicken broth to get it to move.)
Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. It should come out bright green in color.
Sara's Green Harissa. Coconut Braised Lettuce (http://food52.com/recipes/18991-coconut-milk-braised-lettuce-with-ginger-garlic-and-pepper). These are from food52, and favorites of mine. Generally, it can replace any leafy green, adjusting for a short cooking time if necessary.
Juice it, or liquify it with a bit of water in a high end blender and make a frozen granita.
Fluff it with a fork and serve in martini glasses with bit of frozen red wine vinegar and salt.
http://alineaathome.typepad.com/alinea_at_home/2008/11/salad-red-wine-vinaigrette.html
Grill it!! I like to halve it, tie it up in a string for easier maneuvering, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3-4 minutes or until browned. It's everythingggg
I slice into 2" wide strips and toss into my fried rice at the end. It wilts down to alot, but makes a nice change from beansprouts.
I also have a stirfry recipe that cooks lettuce with bacon and chili sauce. But you'll need a sturdy lettuce like romaine or iceberg. http://food52.com/recipes/19022-lettuce-smoked-bacon-stir-fry
I'm certainly not going to turn up my nose at a lettuce wrapped spring roll or lumpia, but nevertheless lettuce can also be added to soups. I'm thinking something like ramen noodles simmered in broth with the lettuce added at the end.
23 Comments
Petit Pois ("little" - new - peas)
- Thinly sliced scallions, white part – half cup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 cups shredded Boston or butter lettuce (any very soft lettuce) – chop fine with a knife or shredded on a box grater
- 2 cups or a 10 oz. package frozen petit pois
- Half cup of HOT chicken stock or instant chicken bouillon or less ideally, nearly boiling water
Optional: add finely-chopped mint
Slice the scallions thin (white part, some green just above the white is fine).
Melt the butter and oil together in a frying pan. Add the scallions and stir gently to cloak them in the butter and oil, sautee on medium until soft.
Shred the lettuce and stir into the scallion. It will only take a minute or so to wilt, then stir in the frozen peas and stock or bouillon.
Keep on a medium simmer, uncovered, until everything is tender and the liquid is reduced. Do not overcook.
Peruvian Green Sauce aka Aji
1/4 head of lettuce, torn into pieces (iceberg is fine, romaine is better)
3 jalapeno chiles, seeds and veins removed (I used a habanero from my garden- yep- very hot stuff though I only used one)
1/4 cup mayonaise
5 green onions
1/2 bunch of cilantro leaves (try to avoid the stems)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (I sustituted with about 6-8 cloves of garlic- yea a lot)
(I used a blender instead of a food processor which meant I had to add about a 1/4 cup chicken broth to get it to move.)
Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. It should come out bright green in color.
Fluff it with a fork and serve in martini glasses with bit of frozen red wine vinegar and salt.
http://alineaathome.typepad.com/alinea_at_home/2008/11/salad-red-wine-vinaigrette.html
http://food52.com/recipes/18963-lettuce-soup
Voted the Best Reply!
I also have a stirfry recipe that cooks lettuce with bacon and chili sauce. But you'll need a sturdy lettuce like romaine or iceberg. http://food52.com/recipes/19022-lettuce-smoked-bacon-stir-fry
http://food52.com/recipes/19023-shalotta-mom-s-pickled-lettuce-condiment