Ok so I’ve been hearing a lot of conversation about how lettuce has no nutritional value. Well the truth of the matter is that lettuce really doesn’t have that much nutritional value. It is a green leafy vegetable, so there are some nutrients. But, the lighter varieties like iceberg and romaine are further from the big nutritional ticket than say green leaf or arugula. Here’s the thing, people have no problem eating french fries and burgers and deep fried cheese, but they are extremely picky when it comes to lettuce. Sure lettuce isn’t king when it comes to nutritional hierarchy, but it does carry a lot of water, and if nothing else a great base for salads.
Iceberg lettuce always get a bum wrap when it comes to salads. Oh it has no value, oh it’s like eating nothing. Well people, iceberg contributes one main thing to any salad it’s added to and that’s crunch. Sure romaine is crunchy, but nothing tops iceberg when it comes to crunch satisfaction. To the right is a picture of one of Ryan’s favorite salads, the wedge salad.
The wedge salad got started in the 50’s when iceberg was really the only lettuce in the game. It was a “wedge” from the head of iceberg, topped with tomatoes, nuts and other accompaniments. Iceberg was the only lettuce that was available to the general public and so really people just didn’t know that there were other lettuces available.
In the 70’s, with the produce revolt in California, people had to change their thinking on what lettuce meant. They started turning more unique lettuces. Unfortunately this was the temporary end of the wedge salad. But, as with most things, the wedge salad got another chance to shine. Today, you see this classic salad on the menu of trendy restaurants all over the country. Here’s my simple recipe
Wedge Salad
1/4 head of iceberg lettuce
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup cooked, crispy bacon
3 tablespoons bleu cheese dressing, bottled or homemade
1 tablespoon, bleu cheese crumblesAlways thinking of the next meal
-Katie
On Your Plate 