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romaine lettuce

(13 Posts)
TriciaF Wed 15-Jun-16 11:48:45

We have a glut of romaine lettuces, the dark green rather coarse kind.
Does it work to cook it like spring cabbage?

hildajenniJ Wed 15-Jun-16 11:54:49

I would try stir-frying it, possibly with other stir-frying type veggies. I imagine it will taste fine. I've seen the likes of James Martin put little gem lettuce (halved) on the grill or barbecue. Give it a go and see wgat it's like. ?
?

Indinana Wed 15-Jun-16 13:34:59

Cos lettuce (as we always used to call them) was the only lettuce my mother would buy when I was a child. They were always pale green and sweet but I havent' seen anything but the coarse, bitter ones for years. Even the so-called 'hearts of romaine' are bitter. I've given up buying them.

TriciaF Wed 15-Jun-16 14:40:03

I've just pulled one up and had a nibble - not sweet but not bitter either, sort of nutty. It's huge, but I expect it will wilt when cooked/ stirfried.
I'll try it tomorrow.

hulahoop Wed 15-Jun-16 14:53:13

Bet it's nice stirred fried Triciaf ?

MargaretX Wed 15-Jun-16 17:18:30

Just don't make a smoothie out of lettuce which -when you eat several instead of couple of leaves, contains too much of a
certain drug , but don't know which.

Its my favourite lettuce and you get it in Italy a lot. I cut off the tough leaves and the bottom and cut the rest into fine strips and toss them in lots of olive oil and a few frops of Balsamico and salt.
I can imagine stir fried is OK.

GandTea Wed 15-Jun-16 18:00:45

". Lactucarium is the milky fluid secreted by several species of lettuce, especially Lactuca virosa, usually from the base of the stems. It is known as lettuce opium because of its putative sedative and analgesic properties."

I always understood it was not good to give our rabbit and guinea pig too much for that reason.

annsixty Wed 15-Jun-16 18:04:21

Also don't freeze it!! When my family came at Easter I bought a pack and when I came to use it , it was missing. I eventually tracked it down to a freezer drawer, totally senior moment as it was a big shop to put away .
It looked fine so I put it on a rack and in 20 mins later I had a bag full of brown slime. No Caesar salad that lunch.

TriciaF Thu 16-Jun-16 14:18:47

Well we had stirfried lettuce with lunch today. Cooked in the frying pan with some olive oil, a little soya sauce and a teaspoon of sugar. Next time I might leave out the sugar. I had mine with mushrooms, which husband won't eat. We enjoyed it. With some savoury rice and baked trout.
I've got some left, just put it in the salad box at the bottom of the fridge.

whitewave Thu 16-Jun-16 14:19:41

Gazpacho - isn't that made with lettuce?

TriciaF Thu 16-Jun-16 17:13:47

Soup! thanks for the suggestion whitewave.

Aurelia Thu 16-Jun-16 20:22:16

Try it with fresh peas, simmered together, with some fresh cream.

Jalima Thu 16-Jun-16 21:10:06

contains too much of a certain drug but don't know which.
It is known as lettuce opium because of its putative sedative and analgesic properties.

Remember the Peter Rabbit stories? The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies?
It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is “soporific.”
I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit