Week 3: Lettuce... Who Knew?

This week in my kitchen... 

Week 3 was a week of greens! The star ingredient was lettuce, specifically 3 kinds I've been growing in my backyard: Butterhead Lettuce, Arugula, and Red Oak Leaf Lettuce. Before diving into lettuce week, I thought that all lettuce generally tasted the same and served the same purpose. However, I learned that this is not the case at all. From Belgian Endive to Radicchio, there are seemingly endless varieties of lettuce that have distinct flavor profiles and usages that I've taken for granted. After doing some research into the lettuce I was growing and tasting them with a different mindset, here's what I learned:

Butterhead Lettuce

This bright green bunch of lettuce is called Butterhead Lettuce. It has a sweeter taste and the texture is soft and delicate, especially fresh from the garden. It's usually used in wraps and salads as a foundational base or to add texture. It's universal lettuce as well as, in my opinion, the best lettuce out there.  

Arugula

This is lettuce I'll never look at, or eat, the same again. This variety of lettuce can be described as peppery, nutty, and slightly bitter. Upon reflection of my past experience with arugula in salads or on top of pizza, I'd have to agree with this statement, and I'm disappointed that my palate hasn't made this revelation on its own. It's a great green to spice up a boring salad or use as a garnish to freshen up dishes, such as pizza. Next time you eat arugula, I'd encourage you to ponder what it adds to the flavor profile of the dish! 

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce

The third lettuce variety in my garden is called Red Oak Leaf Lettuce. This green is actually more purple, despite the name, and is distinguished by its leaves' ruffled surface. It's a slightly bitter lettuce that adds layers and textures to salads but is still enjoyable to eat because of the soft and pliable nature of the leaves. 

I also learned some tips while growing these greens. I noticed that the Arugula and Red Oak Leaf Lettuce was growing quicker than the Butterhead Lettuce. This is because lettuce grows fastest in full sun, and my Butterhead was planted in a shadier part of my garden. However, leafy greens are the most tolerant vegetables of shade, which is why my Butterhead was still able to grow. I also learned that lettuce only needs to be watered about 2-3 times per week while it's growing, so if you're also growing lettuce and it keeps dying, my advice to you is to place it in direct sunlight and make sure you're not overwatering it!

My main lettuce intake is from salads, so when I was choosing a recipe to make, I wanted to use the lettuce in a different way, and making sure to take advantage of the different textures and tastes of the leafy greens. A classic recipe that came to mind that featured lettuce was Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I'd never made this dish before, and I was excited to use my new knowledge of lettuce to spice up the dish. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipe: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/asian-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

I originally wanted to use my Butterhead Lettuce as the wraps for the chicken filling, but quickly realized that I didn't have enough and that it was too soft and weak to hold all of the filling. So, I decided to go buy some Romaine lettuce, which I knew had a firmer structure and would hold the filling well. This was a fantastic choice. The crunch from the Romaine was a perfect addition to the dish. With my other lettuce, I included them in the wraps for extra texture and flavor and challenged my family to see how adding different lettuce changed the meal for them. The addition of the Red Oak Leaf Lettuce to the wraps was the unanimous favorite, as the slightly bitter taste and ruffled texture spiced up the wrap and made it more satisfying to eat. I never thought I'd be discussing and comparing lettuce varieties with my family at the dinner table, but it was a surprisingly entertaining experience, especially because my dad insisted he couldn't taste the "spice" of the arugula (it's there, just subtly). 

Grilled Shrimp Salad

I also made a salad in homage to its OG usage and added some grilled shrimp and balsamic dressing on the side. The main base for this salad was the Red Oak Leaf Lettuce, which I thought would compliment the shrimp nicely with its slightly bitter taste. I love the texture of this lettuce and definitely think it's a step up from a salad with only romaine or butterhead, which tends to be a bit boring. However, I threw in some Butterhead and arugula and was pleasantly surprised with the combination of the 3 greens. I've definitely learned to appreciate a good salad with a variety of lettuces!