ROMAINE: HEADS ABOVE OTHER LETTUCES.Byline: Edwige Lee Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire Romaine could be regarded as a royal lettuce. The Romans worshipped the salad green for keeping them healthy, so Emperor Augustus had a statue erected in honor of its nutritional attributes. Romaine is also the basis of a popular salad said to have been created in 1924 by Italian chef, Caesar Cardini Caesar Cardini, originally Cesare Cardini (February 24, 1896 – November 3, 1956) was an Italian immigrant, restaurateur, chef, and hotel owner who is credited with creating the Caesar salad. , who owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. It's easy to see why people like romaine lettuce. Romaine is heads above most other lettuces in nutritional value. Romaine contains plenty of vitamins A, C and K, folacin folacin: see vitamin. and potassium. Perhaps that is why it is the green of choice for Caesar and sometimes Greek salads. Romaine, like other lettuces, is a cool-season vegetable, and can be grown from seed or transplants. It's critical to wait until the temperatures begin to drop in the fall or warm slightly in the early spring. The effort of growing romaine in your garden could be worth it because romaine lettuce is usually more expensive per head than iceburg. But even if you have to buy it at the supermarket, the extra cost is justified in the better taste and nutrition, especially if you use the dark green outer leaves. Irena Chalmers, in ``The Great Food Almanac almanac, originally, a calendar with notations of astronomical and other data. Almanacs have been known in simple form almost since the invention of writing, for they served to record religious feasts, seasonal changes, and the like. ,'' says the outer leaves, often thrown away, contain the most nutritional value. The trick is to pick a head with clean and unblemished outer leaves so they can be eaten by you, not the compost bin A compost bin is a container used to make compost. These bins are often made of hard plastic and are cylindrical in shape, sometimes resembling a barrel. Compost bins can be as simple as a square slatted enclosure or as sophisticated as a tumbler, which allows for the . A head of romaine should be heavy and bunched tightly for its size, with the dark green outer leaves yielding to paler ones in the center. The centers, or hearts, are often sold pre-packaged as a salad delicacy. A head of romaine doesn't have many leaves, so it might seem as if you are not getting much for your money. But the leaves make up for that in size: They are much longer and wider than other lettuces. Romaine is also not as delicate as other lettuces, so it stands up well to dressings. For salad preparations, it lends itself to the knife rather than tearing. Romaine is a perfect selection for an entree salad. Add sliced chicken breast or steak, garbanzo garbanzo see chickpea. beans, sliced tomatoes, a few bits of endive for zip - or anything you like. Accompany it with a bowl of soup and a loaf of crusty bread, and you have a meal. CAESAR SALAD caesar salad n. A tossed salad of greens, anchovies, croutons, and grated cheese with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and a raw or coddled egg. 1 egg Water 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons olive OR vegetable oil 2 tablespoons lemon OR lime juice Few drops Worcestershire sauce Dash hot pepper sauce 5 cups torn romaine 1/2 cup croutons 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Dash pepper 1 can (2 ounces) anchovy anchovy: see herring. anchovy Any of more than 100 species of schooling saltwater fishes (family Engraulidae) related to the herring. Anchovies are distinguished by a large mouth, almost always extending behind the eye, and by a pointed snout. fillets, drained, rinsed and patted dry Let egg come to room temperature. To coddle egg, add egg in shell to a small saucepan of boiling water. Remove from heat; let stand 1 minute. Remove egg from water and cool slightly. Cut garlic clove in half lengthwise length·wise adv. & adj. Of, along, or in reference to the direction of the length; longitudinally. Adj. 1. lengthwise . Rub a large wooden salad bowl with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Add oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce to bowl. Break coddled egg into bowl. Using a fork or a wire whisk, beat until creamy. Add romaine. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with croutons, Parmesan cheese and pepper; toss to mix. Top with anchovy fillets. Makes 6 side-dish servings. From ``Better Homes And Gardens New Cookbook,'' Bantam Books. GREEK SALAD 1/2 cup virgin olive oil 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons dried oregano oregano (ərĕg`ənō), name for several herbs used for flavoring food. A plant of the family Labiatae (mint family), Origanum vulgare, 1 clove garlic, finely minced (optional) Ground pepper 2 to 3 cups torn assorted salad greens, such as romaine, escarole escarole (ĕs'kərōl`): see chicory. OR frisee fri·sée n. See endive. [French, from feminine past participle of friser, to curl; see frizz1.] 4 small ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings 2 small green bell peppers, seeded, ribs removed and thinly sliced into rings 1/2 pound feta fet·a n. A white semisoft cheese usually made of goat's or ewe's milk and often preserved in brine. [Modern Greek (turi) pheta, (cheese) slice, from Italian fetta, slice cheese, coarsely crumbled 20 Kalamata olives To make dressing, stir together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic in a small bowl. Add pepper to taste. Set aside. In a large salad bowl, combine greens, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and bell peppers. Drizzle dressing on top of greens and toss gently to mix. Sprinkle feta cheese and olives over top and serve. Makes 4 servings. From ``The Best of Casual Mediterranean Cooking: Taverna'' by Joyce Goldstein, Sunset Books. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Romaine lettuce is the foundation of many salad dishes. Jamie Francis/Columbia (S.C.) State |
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