You know the core of a head of leaf or Romaine lettuce? That, too, is edible.
After peeling off all of the leaves, I trim any unsightly oxidation rust marks. Then I slice the core in half lengthwise (to make half-moon pieces, once sliced). Finally, I slice the long core pieces, thinly, across the grain. I add these to a tossed salad and no one is the wiser (or else they are just accustomed to my quirky ways in the kitchen, and this is no surprise).
I have never used the core before. Sadly, as we use lettuce we leave the core intact but by the time we get down to the core it is brown, orange and way past its edible state. I just throw it away. We just don't go through it fast enough I guess.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteOh, got it. They can get bad-looking. I have used lettuce cores in veggie stock. If yours just look bad, but don't have signs of mold/rot, you could do that. Just a suggestion.
Interesting. I usually find lettuce cores too bitter for my liking. Maybe if it were disguised among the rest of the salad, I wouldn't notice. I might give it a try sometime.
ReplyDeleteHi live and learn,
DeleteAs I said to Alice, you could also try using in stock, or fine chopping to add to vegetable soup.
You might just be more sensitive to bitter tastes than I am. To me, the core tastes a bit sharp, but not off-putting, the way some greens taste sharp, but I still don't mind them. If you ever find yourself in a desperate situation (not quite enough lettuce for a family's salad, just needing about 1 cup more ingredients), I think creamier salad dressings hide bitterness better than vinaigrettes. Just a thought.
I dint use the core before. I just came to know thats its also edible. Please share its recipe too where i can use its core.
ReplyDelete