Which lettuces can I grill and how do I do it?
Which lettuces can I grill and how do I do it?
Got the grill going and some extra lettuce lying around? Romaine, Boston lettuce, escarole, radicchio and endive are all great lettuces to grill.
Grilling lettuces is easy and fast. Cut a head of washed lettuce vertically in half or quarters so that the leaves are still connected at the base. Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Grill for about 45 seconds a side, until the outer leaves are brown and crisp. If you have loose leaves, you might also try wrapping them in a scallion.
Serve grilled lettuces with dipping sauces. Or try a salad of grilled lettuces: chop the grilled greens into bite-size pieces and spread on a platter topped with cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, scallions and vinaigrette.
Recipe: Grilled Endive (Cookthink)
Recipe: Sesame Vinaigrette (Cookthink)
Recipe: Soy-Maple Vinaigrette (Cookthink)
Recipe: Curry-Yogurt Dipping Sauce (Cookthink)
What is extra-virgin olive oil?
What is extra-virgin olive oil?
Extra-virgin olive oil is the precious unrefined first result of cold-pressing olives to make a fruity liquid that contains less than one percent acid.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the most expensive olive oil variety, and it is best appreciated in salads or as a garnish to give preparations a final flourish. If you are using olive oil to cook, it's fine to use regular olive oil.
Greece is the #1 consumer of olive oil in the world and also the leading producer of extra virgin olive oils, which account for 82 percent of their olive oil production. The U.S. is not a member of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), which regulates olive oil standards worldwide, and the IOOC does not recognize the U.S. standards for extra-virgin oil.
There is much controversy in the olive oil world, with accusations of corruption and adulteration smearing consumer confidence and shedding doubt on the purity of so-called virgin olive oil.
Escarole is a variety of endive whose leaves are broader, paler and less bitter than other members of the endive family. In taste -- but not color -- it is almost indistinguishable from radicchio.
Like radicchio, kale and chard, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late into the growing season. The heart of an escarole head is less bitter because the leaves haven't gotten as much sunlight. (Some farmers even cultivate these pale leaves by covering the plants and depriving them of sunlight.)
High in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K, escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. Try tossing a few escarole leaves into a mild salad, serving some quickly wilted with lemon juice, or stir chopped escarole into soup. A medium head of escarole usually yields about seven cups of torn leaves.
Related Article: Root Source: Escarole (Cookthink)
Related Article: How to prep escarole (Cookthink)
