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How do you Lettuce ?

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Margi Cintrano View Drop Down
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    Posted: 01 April 2012 at 11:30
Having arrived in Port of Call Vieste in the Gargano Peninsula of Apulia ( Puglia ) on the Adriatic, in southeastern Italy, it came to mind to take note of Marissa´s lovely violet and blue violet cauliflower. The Lettuces here are predominately red violet and violet ...
 
Would enjoy hearing from you and how do you Lettuce ... which varieties do you use in salads ?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Here are the types:
 
1. Lollo Rosso = a curly magenta variety, an oak leaf
 
2. Indivia Belgium = Endive
 
3. Rughetta = Arugula
 
4. Escarola
 
5. Dente di Leon = a field green with small violet leaves about the same size as Arugula
 
6. La Foglia di Querica = violet oak leaves
 
7. La Borragine = an aromatic field green and herb used to season local fish dishes, salads and Lamb, the preferred meat.
 
Have nice wkend.
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 April 2012 at 14:33
Oak leaves!  Really?  These must be radically different than the leaves of common American white or red oak trees, because I can't imagine eating those.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 April 2012 at 18:18
Daikon, Oak Leaf is a variatal name for a lettuce.
 
There are four groups of lettuces, distinguished by how they grow: Solid headed, loose headed, Romaine or Cos, and loose leaf. Oak Leaf is a loose leaf form, that comes in several colors, including green, red, and purple (or violet).
 
While it's true Margi eats some weird stuff, to the best of my knowledge you won't find her munching on oak trees. Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rod Franklin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 April 2012 at 19:00
I think Margi eats well. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rod Franklin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 April 2012 at 19:23
All I know of lettuce is Romaine which goes into Caesar salad, or individual leaves filled with various things and eaten out of hand. Or Iceburg, which gets used in common salads mostly, or on sandwiches. However, it occasionally gets used in shrimp fried rice; that pastel green with the soft pink of the seafood looks real nice. I've used both in soups. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 April 2012 at 20:15
Originally posted by HistoricFoodie HistoricFoodie wrote:

Daikon, Oak Leaf is a variatal name for a lettuce.
 
There are four groups of lettuces, distinguished by how they grow: Solid headed, loose headed, Romaine or Cos, and loose leaf. Oak Leaf is a loose leaf form, that comes in several colors, including green, red, and purple (or violet).
 
While it's true Margi eats some weird stuff, to the best of my knowledge you won't find her munching on oak trees. Wink

 
Well, I'll have to keep an eye out for it in the local markets.  I can't say that I am a huge lettuce fan, so maybe it's not surprising that I don't recall ever seeing oak leaf lettuce.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 03:42
 
 
Monday 11.30am - Gargano Peninsula, Italy Time ...
 
Good Morning GENTS,
 
Good Morning Daikon,
 
Firstly, let me clarify, one by one, what some of these Italian lettcues are ... This is PART 1 ...
 
To begin with, LOLLO ROSSO ( rosso is red in English ):
 
Lollo is an open leaf, violet magenta tinged leafy lettuce, with wavy curly serrated edges ... It is a member of the Sunflower family, and was first grown by the Egyptians ( The Romans took some seeds back to Italia ) ... thus, Mediterranean.
 
*** It´s Latin names are: Asteracease and Lacttuca Sativa. In Italian: Congénere ...  
 
I am sure that in the USA, their is another name for this lettuce variety ... and translating is frugal as there are no translations ... I have seen this in the USA ...
 
This is a lovely lettuce, not bitter and has a similar texture and taste to an American lettuce, I have had on last trip 2011, BIBB ...
 
It has absolutely NO relationship with American Oak Trees.
 
It is like, the field greens being called MUSTARD GREENS ... they have no relationship with Dijon !
 
Thanks for all your feedback ---
 
Margi. Cintrano. ( part 2 to follow ... )   
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 03:56
 
11.30am - Monday - PART 2 ...
 
Good Morning Gents,
 
In regards to Dandelion, which is a mild diuretic, called Lion´s Tooth ( El diente di Leone in Italian ), is a member of the Sunflower Family, and its Latin name is:  Taraxacum
 
This field green is commonly used for medicinal purposes in Italia and is also called:
 
Monk´s  Head ...  In English it is also called LINGUEE ... In Italian, its called La Catalogna also ... 
 
It possesses a slightly bitter taste similiar however not quite like Arugula, however, quite lovely with EVOO, Balsamic or Rasberry vinegar and shaved Reggiano Parmesan or Pecorino Fiore Sardo ... Nice ...
 
Kind regards and thanks for feedback ---
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 04:21
Good Morning Gents,
 
Once again, here is some clarification on the 3rd lettuce I had mentioned ...
 
LA FOGLIA: foglia in Italian is simply, PLANT ... This lettuce variety, is Mostarda Indiana, meaning Mustard Leaves, not from Indiana, USA ... It is also called Metal Leaf and grows abundantly in northern USA and in Canada.
 
It is common in both Italian and Spanish to use the word INDIANA, to signify, lands far away or from somewhere else, for example: Many business savvy business men took their families to Argentina, the USA, Uruguay, France, or Switzerland, thus when returning to their home lands, they built houses called Indianas with the profits that they earned overseas ... You can see these houses all along the Green Coast of Asturias, Spain on the Cantarian Sea ... and the Villas of Italia ...
 
Mustard leaves are quite common in the Mediterranean served simply, EVOO and Balsamic ... with shavings of Pecorino or Reggiano Parmesano ... We normally eat salads, After our meal for digestive purposes ...
 
Salads as a meal, for example: Chef, Cobb or Caesar is very USA and we do not have these salads as traditional fare here in Italia --- and for sure, certainly not Spain ... Italians are much more salad inclined and the Greeks as well ...
 
Happy Holidays.
Margi.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 04:31
Gents,
 
Finally, just one more ...
 
BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE which is Lactuca Batavia, a well known Italian sweet and tasty lettuce ...
 
It comes in 3 varieties:
 
rosso = red ( magenta red violet to violet )
green
oak
 
Seeds are available in the USA at:
 
Hope this has clarified what I meant by oak leaves ...
Kind Regards & Happy Holidays.
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 04:48
 
@ Rod,
 
Thank you for your feedback.
 
Yes, I do eat well, and healthy ... mainly Mediterranean ...
 
However, I taste uncountable concoctions with a forkbite and interview Chefs, cooks and bakers at all levels,  for my journalism work, however, I have my mainstay of what I enjoy eating and all of it is low fat, freshly caught or picked and I am veered toward a Pescatarian diet, making exceptions for Emilia Romagna Ragù for my lasagne, Air dried acorn fed Jabugo, Proscuitto di Parma, thick blue rare steak, filet mignon and a roast here and there ... However, these are Holiday roasts ... not daily diet ...  I extremely rarely eat anything processed in cans or jars and / or  frozen ... I live in the Mediterranean, and the fresh availabilities are alot cheaper and healthier ... and we have another stance on eating ... we are in slow movement, not eat on run ...
 
I am very active, go to gym and / or a speed walk ... so I need high energy intake .... Fish is my main protein source, fresh Cod, fresh Norwegian salmon, Monkfish, Red Mullet, Scorpio, Red and bream amongst others and lots of shellfish ...
 
Fish and Pasta, green Italian lettuce variety Salads, and breakfast is Greek Yogurt,  tropical fruit and a natural whole grain bread ...  This is considered the bulk of my weekly laboral diet. At wkends, Saturdays are Italian Day ( the Vet is Italian from Italy ) and Sundays, something Extraordinaire, roasted and / or baked in oven ...
 
My crucifix, and aficion at same time, IS CHEESE, especially Mediterranean goat varieties ... and Smoked San Simon, a Galician variety ... and of course, Pecorino Fiore Sardo ... I can eat a kilo of cheese by myself !  Italian, Spanish and Greek cheeses ... I also like Swiss Gruyère very much and French goat and cow varieties ...
 
 
" I enjoy trying some of the traditional recipes from Ron for example ... however, I do not consider them weird at all ... I prefer recipes steeped profoundly  in tradition ... Hoser has a good take on alot of foreign dishes too "...
 
Historic Foodie had given me a lovely roast pheasant recipe ... which The Vet enjoyed very much ... It was lovely ... also a Quail one ... For autumn, Spain´s feathered game season ...   
 
I am a journalist, in food, wine and travel, so I have had Nitrogen Liquid prepared concoctions and various Fusions, when  I have gone to do interviews on Chefs for my Profession, and have had enjoyable treats ... However, this is professional ... Though, it is amazing and phenomenal and awesome,  my epicurism at home is simple and non laborious except at holidays in both in Italia nor España.  
 
I believe Historic Foodie, stated, I eat weird sometimes, is that I have a profound penchant for PIQUANT ... that is chili peppers, smoked paprika from La Vera, Cáceres, Spain and Mexican and Indian cuisines ... I also like Greek, Turkish and North African ... In the Basque Country and La Rioja, guindilla turf ( red chili peps hailing from Mexico 1515  ), or Galicia, Pimiento de Padrón, an indigenious piquant Galician green pep, sauteèd with sea salt ...
 
I can eat a kilo by myself when I am driven by this unusual passion of mine ... Piquant ... I had lived in Mexico, Uruguay and Brazil, for several months each, however, I have always loved piquant.
 
I NEVER  eat rodents of any kind nor reptiles. NO GRAZIE ... NOR KANGAROO ...
 
Happy Holidays.
Margi.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 05:15
I'll have to keep an eye out for it in the local markets.
 
I don't know how it is where you live, Daikon. But in most of the country markets do not identify leaf lettuces by variety name. At most they'll call it by a color; i.e., red leaf lettuce. So you might not find the Oak Leaf per se. Farmer's Markets are an exception, and the grower will know the name even if it's not labeled.
 
Head lettuces, on the other hand, do get named. Iceburg, for instance, and Boston. Sometimes they are merely named generically, and you'll find bibb and romaine. But within those two there are dozens of actual varieties. For instance, among the the romaines, I grow Forellenschluss (sometimes called "trout"), which is a very handsome lettuce indeed---green with red markings.
 
As with so much of the produce grown in America, what happens is a particular variety becomes the industry standard. I don't know what that is with romaine, for instance. But all commerical growers use the same one; or a group of them that all look exactly the same. Over time, unfortunately, we come to believe that such & such vegetable is supposed to look like that, and anything different is thought of as strange and alien.
 
If you know any serious heirlooms growers, you'll hear them talk disparagingly about the "smooth, round, red syndrome." That is exactly what industry standards lead to.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 05:57
 
Historic Foodie,
 
Red Oak Leaf, I believe is a common call name for the genre of lettuces I am refering to ... Check online and then, go to the Farmer´s Market and discuss with those whom grow a variety of these 
lettuces.
 
Roman Lettuce, or Romaine also has its varieties especially here in Apulia and / or Puglia ... There is one I have not seen anywhere else, a very SPRUCE GREEN variety ... not a Granny Smith green color.
 
It is called : Lechuga Romana Larga, Long Roman Lettuce ... The leaves are large and very dark green as in spruce / pine green tone ... this lettuce has a tender heart ...
 
It is grown predominately in the rurals of the Lazio region ( Roma ) ...
 
Happy Holidays.
Margi.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 09:17
Originally posted by Margi Cintrano Margi Cintrano wrote:

Would enjoy hearing from you and how do you Lettuce ... which varieties do you use in salads ?


I don't eat lettuce that often. Since my wife is allergic to it, it's pretty rare for me to eat anything with lettuce in it, though I do miss having a nice big salad on occasion. Ouch
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 10:07
iceberg and romaine are the two big varieties here as well, although there is usually a chance now and then to try bibb, boston etc. plenty of dandilions, and i mgihta ctually try those leaves this year.
 
most of my life, i haven't been a lettuce fan ~ whne i was a kid, i almost literally couldn't eat it, but now find the taste to ok, but i'll usually opt for a salad made from almost anything else. having said that, i am rather fond of caesar salad, and would be open to trying a few new things.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Daikon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 12:04
When in the mood for salad, I'm often particular to a classic frisée with shallot vinaigrette, bacon, and a poached egg. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 12:19
 
@ Daikon ...
Frisee is very similar to Escarola ...
 
@ Ron ...
Bibb in taste and silky leaf feel is similar to Lollo Rosso, the curly red oak leaf variety ...
 
I Love a Great Caesar Salad and I also enjoy Nicoise, Greek and Cobb ... The classic salads ...
 
Lettuce is very good for your health ... It is a cleanser ... and provides hydration ... Quintessential ...
 
Kindest, Happy Holidays.
Margi.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 12:22
@ Pitrow,
 
Have a big Caesar with grilled chicken for lunch out ... and / or a Cobb ... or Greek ... or Nicoise ...
 
Salads are quintessential ... and u are not allergic ...
 
Sorry to hear your Mrs. is, however, it is such an important element in our diets.
 
Is she allergic to ALL lettuces ? Veggies too ??
 
This is newbie for me ...
 
Kind regards,
Happy Holidays.
Margi.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 April 2012 at 12:47
Margi,   I might just have to do that... a nice caesar sounds good about now.

She's kind of strange when it comes to what she is or isn't allergic to. So far it seems that any of the "normal" lettuce we get here (iceberg, romaine, red/green leaf) doesn't work too well with her, but spinach seems to be ok, as does cabbage.  I haven't been able to get her to do much "testing" on what effects her and what doesn't, since she doesn't like the effects of eating even a small piece.
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Great then ...
 
I love spinach salads ... I do a Nicoise with tuna on Spinach ... I love it ... I also have done a chef salad with it and cobb, with blue cheese, bacon crisp and crumbled and hard boiled egg ... crusty bread and a nice wine or beer.
 
Thanks for reply.
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