Serves: 5
HEAD LETTUCES make the best salad base. Use mature or baby greens. For mature heads, look for vibrant color and firm structure. Separate the leaves, rinse them under cold water, roll loosely in damp paper towels, and refrigerate in a plastic bag until you're ready to use them. They'll stay crisp and fresh for several days. Baby greens come in individual leaves store in a plastic bag and use within 2 days. Rinse in cold water just before using.
* Red Or Green Leaf: Both have ruffled leaves. Red leaf is more tender and frail eat within a few days.
* Romaine: The king of crisp, in green or red, with long, strong spears. Chop or tear into bite-sized pieces for salad, or slice the head lengthwise through the root end and grill. What, lettuce on the grill? Sure! A minute on the grill can add a slightly nutty taste to very firm greens. Lightly brush romaine spears with a vinaigrette, shake off the excess, and place over Direct Medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to wilt and warm them, turning once halfway through grilling time. Add to a sandwich or garnish with grated cheese for a side dish.
* Butter Lettuce (a.k.a. Boston or Bibb): This tender, pale green sweetie has a buttery texture. Leaves pale to yellow-green near the center. Their cuplike shape is also great for garnishes and for wrapping around chicken salads and egg rolls.
* Spinach: Iron-rich comes in bunches. Rinse well to get the sand out and snap off stems about 1 inch from the leaf. Also great sautéed with garlic in olive oil just to wilting.
SPECIALTY GREENS, harvested as individual leaves, are sometimes difficult to find. Include as accents to take your salad to a higher level. Eat within a couple days of purchase rinse just before using.
* Arugula: A treasure to perk up any salad or sandwich. Also called rocket, this peppery number is best eaten right away.
* Red Oak: This fluttery leaf is sweet, soft, and downright flirtatious. Great for color.
* Dandelion Leaves: That's right, the same guys you try to kill in your lawn make great salad pals. But don't harvest your own these sweet specimens are specially grown and harvested young for tenderness.
* Others: Beet Tops (tender and small only) and mizuna add color and intrigue.
BITTER GREENS can be white, green, or purple and last up to a week in the fridge. In salads, use sparingly for balance.
* Frisée Or Curly Endive: The frizzy little leaves spring from thin, firm stems. If you buy a whole head, use the tender, inner leaves. Their pale green to white color and slightly bitter taste make them a good choice for contrast and texture. Keep bite-sized.
* Radicchio: The most common species of this softball-sized globe is purple and white variegated. Discard browned outer leaves. Adds color to salads, or quarter and core the head for grilling. A minute or two on the grill will tenderize it and mellow its bite serve with blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, and grilled pears.
* Belgian Endive: Torpedo-shaped and white with pale green tips, these crisp, small (about 4 inches long) heads are tightly nested long spears. Use whole spears for garnish, slice them to add crunch and a slight bitterness to salads, or slice lengthwise and dip in dressing before grilling for a couple minutes over Direct Medium heat.
* Escarole: Broad stem, ruffled green leaf, and very firm. Can also be braised or grilled to accompany grilled meats.
* Others: For sautéing or braising, try kale mustard or collard greens bok choy and red, green, or Swiss chard.
FRESH HERBS add interest and flavor. Toss in a little dill, cilantro, mint, parsley, or sorrel. Just be sure to pick herbs that work with your dressing.
From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.
This _The Art Of Salad: Know Your Greens...And Reds And Whites recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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