Sunday 2 March 2008

What to do with leftover lettuce

With two days left to go in France before we pack up and head home I seem to have a fridge full of lettuce - mainly outer leaves I've saved to do something useful with. Some, frankly have had it and have had to go straight in the bin (such profligacy offends me these days) but there's still a fair amount.

What can you do with leftover lettuce? Well you can make soup but somehow it doesn't seem quite summery enough yet despite a blistering 22° C here today. You can add it to another soup as I may well do with the watercress soup I'm planning for tonight. You can chuck a few shredded leaves into a French-style braised dish of peas. (That works really well) You can probably stir fry it but I suspect it may turn out a bit slimey. You can . . . what? Any suggestions welcome.

Incidentally you may be interested to know there is a lettuce crisis here in southern France. The lettuce growers have gone on strike (how French) because their return on lettuces has reached its lowest point for the past 25 years. Serious indeed! The lettuce, as I've mentioned before has a central role in French meals - the French have never taken to bagged salads quite the way we have, justly taking the point of view that they're far too expensive and don't taste of much. Quite right too!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You can use lettuce in a quiche, just as you would spinach. Just wilt/saute it a little bit in butter, salt and pepper (my mother actually adds curry powder for a curried version) and do your normal quiche thing. Very tasty!

Fiona Beckett said...

Certainly hadn't thought of that. I guess it would have to be quite a flavoursome lettuce with strong dark leaves not one of those tasteless round ones. Actually maybe just lettuce stewed in butter as a veg would be good. Quicker, too!

Anonymous said...

you can also cook it half and half with cabbage (stewed or sauteed) Its very tasty...and i just got through eating several bowls (teehehe)lol

UA-3466976-1