Sweet, juicy lettuce leaves are the base for a wide range of refreshing salads. When choosing lettuce, the best heads of lettuce are dense and heavy for their size with unblemished leaves. Avoid limp heads with brown spots or hollow centers.
To store lettuce, first, soak the lettuce in cold water to help the leaves absorb as much moisture as possible. Then, spin off all the moisture left on the surface of the leaves in a salad spinner. Layer the lettuce leaves between paper towels to absorb any remaining water, and transfer the leaves to a zipper-lock plastic bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag and refrigerate for up to several weeks.
To core non-headed leaf lettuce, simply snap the leaves off individually from the core, starting at the outermost leaves and working your way inward. And to remove the rib from a lettuce leaf, just fold the leaf in half lengthwise, down the center of the rib. Slice or pull the leaf along the edge of the rib and lift the rib out.
When shredding lettuce, remove the ribs and stack the leaves 3 or 4 might. Starting at a long side, roll into a tight cylinder like a cigar. Slice the cigar shaped lettuce leaves crosswise. The slices will unravel into fine shreds.
** Asian Recipes **
