THE HOME COOK : Iceberg Lettuce: Crispy Friend to Many Foods
If it could, iceberg lettuce would smile. Round and crisp, it is a perfect creation. Although its flavor is delicate, it is a sturdy creature, unlike some of the frail field lettuce that wilt, swoon and get the vapors. My dog Rover loves it, especially dunked in meat drippings; he wouldn’t touch arugula with a 10-foot pole.
Iceberg lettuce is a close friend of every sandwich of note--hamburger, peanut butter, cheese, club, tuna, deviled egg--and there are no substitutes for the crunchy, pale-green leaves. Like Mark Twain, iceberg has some important continental connections, to Mandarin China (Minced Squab in Lettuce Leaves) and to France (the classic Petits Pois a la Francaise). Iceberg is equally at home on the table of an aristocrat or a peasant. Adaptable, always available, no better food friend exists.
The following recipes are diverse and easily made at home. If squab isn’t one of your basic kitchen ingredients, Minced Squab in Lettuce Leaves is equally good when made with chopped chicken. Petits Pois a la Francaise (freshly shelled peas cooked with iceberg lettuce and butter) lifts the garden pea to new heights. And the Iceberg Wedge, with thick creamy dressing, is still as great as a Caesar salad, when made properly.
It is important to follow one step in preparing iceberg lettuce prior to use. Remove the core. Fill a large bowl or soup pot with cold water. Forcefully plunge the lettuce, cored end down, into the water. Now shake it free of excess water and wrap the head in several layers of toweling. (I use two layers of paper towels and cover them with a dish towel.) Refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.
The California Iceberg Lettuce Commission informs me that Crisp-head is the proper name for our iceberg lettuce. Last year, they say, 100 million cartons of lettuce were sold in this country (there are approximately 24 heads to a carton). They add that 15 billion salads were eaten, which is not surprising considering that most people now get their vegetables through salads, and salad consumption has increased in California. And I would personally like to announce that my Head-Lettuce Club now has 17 members.
MINCED ‘SQUAB’ IN LETTUCE LEAVES
3 tablespoons oil
1 1/3 cups finely chopped skinned chicken breast
3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger root
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 whole lettuce leaves, trimmed and chilled
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Sauce
Heat oil in medium skillet. Add chicken, green pepper, sugar, salt and season to taste with pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add ginger, soy sauce, water and lemon juice. Mix well and cook few seconds longer. Remove from heat and place in serving bowl.
Assemble by placing 3 or 4 tablespoons filling on lettuce leaf, sprinkle with walnuts and spoon Sauce over. Roll up leaf. Serve hot or cold. Makes 4 appetizer servings, about 2 cups filling.
Sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Hot pepper sauce
Combine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce to taste. Mix well.
THICK CREAMY DRESSING FOR WEDGE OF ICEBERG
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Oil, optional
1/2 cup Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled
Pepper
4 large wedges iceberg lettuce
Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions and lemon juice in bowl. Stir until well blended. Add small amount oil if too thick. Stir in crumbled cheese. Season to taste with pepper. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
To serve, spoon about 6 tablespoons dressing over large wedge chilled iceberg lettuce. Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups.
PETITS POIS A LA FRANCAISE
4 pounds unshelled peas
6 tablespoons butter
1 small head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup water
Shell peas. Heat butter in skillet and add peas, lettuce, salt and pepper to taste, sugar and water. Stir to mix well. Bring to boil, then quickly reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until peas are tender. Makes 6 to 8 servings.