Salad Greens

Iceberg lettuce used to have the market cornered when it came to consumer lettuce purchases. It was readily available and easy to prepare, but unfortunately it was, and still is, the least nutritious of all lettuce varieties. Although iceberg lettuce is still extremely popular, Americans have a great variety of other salad greens to choose from these days: butterhead, Bibb, looseleaf, romaine, watercress, arugula, oak leaf, escarole, radicchio, those aesthetically pleasing spring mixes, and a host of local greens when in season. These greens, along with supermarkets full of wonderful, new regular and low-fat dressings and other salad accoutrements, have helped Americans become salad-savvy. We now consume over five times more lettuce per person than we did a century ago. With the addition of these more nutritionally beneficial varieties, American salads have become even healthier for us than before.

Salinas, California is at the epicenter of America's lettuce and salad green's production region. The warm days and cool nights of this region along the central coast of California are ideal growing conditions for lettuce. Arizona and Florida are the second and third largest lettuce producers in the country.

Storage & Selection
Lettuce should be fresh and crisp, with good color and no signs of yellowing, decay or slime, blemishes, wilting or rust spots. Look for lettuce with healthy outer leaves, as this is often the most nutritious part of the plant. Select compact, iceberg lettuce heads with dark green outer leaves. Look for medium sized heads of Romaine and other leaf lettuce with dark outer leaves that are tightly closed. Lettuce will perish quickly if not stored properly. Lettuces like moisture and cool temperatures, so store lettuce in perforated plastic bags wrapped in damp paper towels, and keep in the refrigerator vegetable crisper

Preparation
If you love salads as I do, then I encourage you to invest in a quality salad spinner as this contraption removes moisture from lettuce better than any other method I'm aware of. For iceberg lettuce, remove the core by smashing it on the counter to loosen it first, and remove. Rinse the cavity with cool running water, then break apart and spin-dry the lettuce in the salad spinner. For lettuce other than iceberg, separate the lettuce leaves before you wash them, and put the leaves in cool water in the sink. Once rinsed, break up or cut the leaves and fill the salad spinner, but don't overfill the spinner or it will not work as well as it should. In addition to their most common use in salads, you can also braise, steam, saut� and even grill certain lettuce varieties to create a wonderful and different taste treat. Try halving a head of radicchio or romaine lengthwise, and brush on some extra virgin olive oil, and grill until they soften and just begin to brown-absolutely delicious.

Tony's Tip
As soon as you get home, rinse lettuce in cold water, wrap in a moist paper towel, place inside a perforated plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator's vegetable bin.

Tony's Favorite Recipe
Arugula Pasta Salad with Wild Mushrooms

Varieties
There are four main types of lettuce typically found in most supermarket produce departments, and many varieties within each type.

Crisphead lettuce, or Roundhead lettuce, is best characterized by the ever- popular iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce has a tight compact head, pale green leaves, crisp texture and a very mild flavor.

Butterhead lettuce, sometimes referred to as cabbage lettuce, includes common varieties like Boston and Bibb lettuce. The leaves are thin and soft with a silky, almost buttery feel. They have a sweet, mild flavor with less prominent veins than iceberg.

Romaine or Cos lettuce has a loaf-shaped appearance with long, dark green, upright outer leaves that often feature a white central spine. As you reach the center, the leaves become smaller and more yellow. The outer leaves can be quite sturdy, while the inner leaves, often used in Caesar salads are on the tender side.

Loose-leaf or bunching lettuce does not form a head like crisphead or butterhead lettuces, instead, their leaves grow in loose bunches on a stalk. Red leaf and green leaf lettuces , are the most common varieties in this category, and both have curly, ruffled leaves, and their crispness falls somewhere in between butterhead and romaine lettuces.

Other specialty salad greens that may be available at selected supermarkets include watercress, mache, and arugula. Also see Chicory.

Watercress grows in bunches, has a mustard-like flavor, and is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. It is a popular garnish in salads and sandwiches.

Mache is highly perishable, and is often referred to as lamb's lettuce or field salad. The leaves have a silky, almost velvety feel, mild taste and are usually sold with their roots attached. This specialty lettuce is relatively difficult to find, and therefore on the expensive side.

Arugula looks a little like dandelion greens and watercress, and is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. Look for bunches with small to medium bright green leaves, in the 2" to 3" range, as these typically taste the best. Arugula is wonderful with fruit in salads, and is of course a tasty addition to green salads as well.

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