Creamy Herb Dressed Lettuce Steaks

I love Iceberg Lettuce.  It has such a lovely benign flavour  . . .  not too sharp, not bitter . . .  just right.  I am afraid it gets a bad rap these days.  There are so many other lettuces available with prettier rufflier dresses, more colourful and flavourful to be sure.  Don’t ever underestimate the appeal of Iceberg Lettuce however  . . .

It is the lettuce of my childhood.  We never ever had anything else, except for maybe leaf lettuce from the garden . . . and to this day iceberg lettuce is the only lettuce my mother will eat.  She totally eschews any other kind.  That is just one of my mother’s best qualities. She is loyal to the core . . .  to political parties, to grocery shops, to hair dressers, to cars . . . and yes, to lettuce. God bless you mom. We love you.

Seriously though, there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING on the planet that can compare to the beauty, flavour and crunch of a salad made with iceberg lettuce, especially when presented with and served with the most perfect accompaniments. That’s one of the beauties of iceberg lettuce.  It never minds sharing the plate with a willing dance partner, and it goes very well with lots of other flavours.  It is like the chicken breast of the lettuce world. It makes a beautiful canvas.

In this instance  I have cut the lettuce crosswise horizontally . . .  into half inch “steaks.”  Yes, you will need a knife and a fork to eat it, but just wait, it gets even better. The “steaks” are drizzled  with a beautiful creamy herb buttermilk dressing . . .  with just enough flavour to really bring out the best of that crisp and crunchy iceberg lettuce  . . .

There is a sprinkling of finely julienned radish for some heat and colour, a bit of mustard cress for a bit more colour and flavour, and then . . . finally . . .  instead of croutons . . .  some toasted salt and pepper pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped.  This is a salad I would be happy serving to my lady friends for lunch, and I guarantee they would all be pleased as punch with it. This is a salad that would have been quite at home at the Manor for one of Madames luncheons.

65g shelled roasted salt and pepper pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped 

Make sure your lettuce is dry and quite chilled.  Cut crosswise into four 1/2 inch thick “steaks”, removing the rounded ends.  Save these for another salad, another day.  Place each lettuce “steak” onto a chilled plate for serving.  Drizzle each with some of the dressing.  Scatter over the julienned radishes, mustard cress and chopped nuts.  Serve immediately.

Note - a bit of grated cheese is also nice scattered over top, or blue cheese crumbles.

You could also grated a bit of cheese on top if you wanted.  Blue cheese crumbles would be nice, or a bit of sharp cheddar, maybe even some Parmesan shavings, but try not to mess with it too much.  This is beautiful just as it is.  Bon appetit!

Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
http://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/