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Lettuce Talk Greens

The Hot Pepper

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Lettuce Talk Greens
 
Why not? What lettuces (or any greens) do you like and on what? What do you NOT like, or not like on something?
 
I'm not a huge iceberg fan, but I like that classic iceberg wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing and crumbled bacon. It's great with a steak.
 
I'm not a huge romaine fan except in caesar salad for some reason. That's a great salad. But in a sandwich like a pita, no. Or an Italian hero, no. In fact NO lettuce on my hero please!
 
For salads I like arugula. I like the peppery bite, small leaf size, and crispness. A good salad can have many things... pears, nuts, provolone, hearts of palm, lemon vinaigrette, whatever. I love arugula.
 
Spinach salads are okay, not my favorite. Don't find much use for the raw leaf.
 
The mesclun or baby field greens type salad mixes are pretty good but I don't find them to be very substantial. Once you dress it and toss the salad the greens seem to disappear!
 
For certain sandwiches I'm a big fan of the soft, buttery leaf lettuce like bibb. Bibb is fantastic. Goes great on things like BLT and chicken sandwich. Anything with meat and mayo. I also like watercress. You could stick watercress in any pita or Middle Eastern sandwich and I'd be happy.
 
No lettuce or cabbage on tacos for me. Very fresh pico please! Pickled onion? Sure. Radish, salsa. Yup. Save the whole lettuce vs. cabbage drama for ya mama. It's a taco!
 
Love slaw! Any kind of slaw. I like traditional, mustard, mayo-free oil and vinegar slaw, red cabbage (shaved paper thin) slaw, ginger slaw. I make slaws like salsas. Always experimenting. Love them! You can put slaw on dawgs, pulled pork, sliders, whatever you want.
 
Radicchio. Now this stuff is good grilled. I like the long radicchio (lungo trevigiano). Split it lengthwise, add olive oil, honey, lemon, sea salt, and pepper powder. Let it work its way in. Grill flat side down over low flame, turn over for a few minutes, then put on the warmer rack flat side up. Leave it up there 20-30 minutes and serve with your grilled meal. Also try the same way with maple syrup, butter, chipotle powder, and sea salt. Great stuff! Trust!
 
Cooked you say?
 
Collards. Nuff said.
 
What chu got?
 
Lettuce Talk Greens!!!!
 
I like iceberg for taco salad, and for Asian ginger/sesame etc, and shredded for tacos ...
I like the butter lettuce for chef salad or most all large salad as a meal salads ...
I like Romaine for caesar, grilled, or used to wrap corn on the grill ...
I like sprouts on tuna, pita, and even the occasional chicken breast on whole-grain bun slider ...
 
I like rucola and fresh spinach a lot. I've grown different varieties and there is a lot of difference between them (think about bell peppers versus superhots). I had wild rucola with an incredibally nutty/ground taste. It was overpowering for a rucula only salad, but it was a great add to everything. Same goes for fresh basil, I have mild varieties for salads and strong ones to Spice up home made pesto. In the summer I also tend to eat green chicory leaves, sometimes white/yellow ones as well.

I prefer the herb and leaf like greens over the watery ones.

My favorite salad;

Matador Spinach
Basillicum Genovesa
Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja tomatoes
Fresh croutons
Buffalo mozzarella cubes
Smoked pork cubes that have been fried crunchy

Tomato, basil and mozzarella is always a win
 
I like baby spinach in a 50/50 mix, iceberg is what I grew up with. 
 
I love some spinach sauteed in butter and would even wreck a can of spinach that was microwaved and dashed with some red wine vinegar.
 
I'm not hip on the different lettuces, I grew a french mix last year that had a bunch of different kinds in it. Was good but got hot and they bolted quick.
 
I really don't like cilantro .. keep the soap weed outta my salsa. I can do a taco with onions and real light cilantro though. I'm with the koolaid man, keep the lettuce n junk off my taco. I can do a couple shreds on one of the 3 I eat just for a little variety but I prefer them without. 
 
I'd wreck some bok choy sauteed in kerigold butter and lightly salted with seasalt.
 
Brussels sprouts, tossed with balsamic vinegar and bacon roasted in the oven (they count as a green right?)
 
Cabbage... you guessed it, sauteed in kerigold butter and lightly salted with seasalt 
 
My wifey makes a really good but simple kelbasa cooked in the pan with sauerkraut
 
I need to find my grandmas recipe for a sauerkraut salad.  It was more a pickled concoction that was sweet with celery, onions and some other stuff in it. Been a dozen years since I had it. 
 
Good stuff guys!
 
I forgot some good ones!
 
Thai basil in Thai food... sets it off! Love it.
Sweet basil with Italian.
 
Flat leaf parsley for chimichurri!
I like cilantro. I don't get the soapy taste. I know some do.
 
Spinach cooked I like. In fact I love things like spinach quiche and spinach pie. Just not a huge fan of the raw leaf. Maybe baby spinach would be my deal.
 
Bok choy? Hell yeah!!!
 
I love brussels sprouts. Ha! I guess that is like a little cabbage head. I didn't consider it a "green" in that regard.

Also, there's a pizza joint here that does escarole and it is an awesome topping. I mean awesome!
 
I had some pineapple sage in the garden this year but didn't get around to making anything with it. Beautiful smell and very pretty flowers though. Smelled just like pineapple. 
 
I LOVE chimichurri and can't wait to make some this summer with some lightly smoked skirt steak. 
 
I love spinach in pizza. Preferably under the cheese though. It looks so sad half wilted on a pizza. Giordanos in Illnois, chicago style deep dish with balsamic onions, spinach, black olives ect. The balsamic onions and spinach just go so well together 
 
Balsamic caramelized onions are my jam too! Not a green so I guess I'll try it with an escarole pie and report back. :D
 
Pretty sure the escarole is cooked first. It's delicious. 
 
I hate all raw greens, but iceberg and pretty much all lettuce varieties are disgusting and completely unpaletable to me. I will literally throw up if I tried to eat lettuce.
 
However, I love sauteed napa/chinese cabbage! Kale and green cabbage are great in soups/stews. And who can turn down a nice big bowl of collard greens made with smoked pork hocks?
 
I'm going to go check out an Amish place in town I haven't been to, but I've heard of from a number of folks ... tomorrow, or Wednesday ...
 
I hope I can sneak a good photo for JT ...
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Sauteed napa = WIN!
 
I love adding it to Asian inspired dishes, but straight up with some garlic, salt and butter is a win for me as well. Just a little crunch left.
 
grantmichaels said:
I'm going to go check out an Amish place in town I haven't been to, but I've heard of from a number of folks ... tomorrow, or Wednesday ...
 
I hope I can sneak a good photo for JT ...
 
Amish? In Florida?
 
We have a Mennonite community in the middle of our town, but this is actually Amish ... their produce comes from their farms in PA, I guess ...
 
Jay hangs at...

amish_tent.jpg
 
grantmichaels said:
We have a Mennonite community in the middle of our town, but this is actually Amish ... their produce comes from their farms in PA, I guess ...
 
Wow, I didn't know yall had Mennonites down that way. I just moved out of Holmes County, Ohio (largest Amish settlement). Interesting folks.
 
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