There’s More To Lettuce Than Just Plain Iceberg

Forget that wedge of iceberg lettuce. Move on to better things. Make a salad with a variety of lettuces buttery greens with bitter greens, peppery greens with mild-tasting greens.

Add escarole, romaine or endive, chickory and watercress both for their good tastes and to give yourself a boost of vitamins and minerals.

If the leafy greens are new to your dinner table, start with buttery Boston lettuce, or mild-tasting romaine or Bibb. Add a few inside leaves from curly tousled chickory or escarole. (An Italian cook told us she uses the inner leaves for the salad bowl and saves the tougher, outer leaves for soups and sautes.) For a sharp, peppery taste, try watercress and arugula alone or mixed with milder greens.

Rinse the greens with cold water and shake off the excess. To dry them, use a salad spinner or wrap in layers of paper towels or in a dish towel and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Iceberg and romaine should last several days; other salad greens stay fresh only a day or two.

When ready to make the salad, tear leaves into bite-size pieces. You might cut out the iceberg’s core and shred it to add crunch to tacos or a sandwich. With watercress and arugula, remove the tough stems and use only the leaves.

The Caesar salad recipe, using no eggs and less oil than usual, is from “The Lighthearted Everyday Cooking” by Anne Lindsay (MCM Books). The other recipes are from Steven Raichlen’s award-winning “High Flavor Low-fat Cooking” (Camden House).

Lighthearted Caesar Salad

2 slices bread (whole wheat is best)

1 large clove garlic, halved

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 anchovy fillet, minced

Salt and pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce

Toast bread until browned and crisp. Rub cut side of garlic over both sides of bread; cut bread into cubes. Mince garlic and use in dressing.

To make the dressing, combine the garlic, lemon juice, oil, water and 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy in a small bowl. Mix well.

Just before serving tear romaine into salad bowl. Pour dressing over and toss to mix. Add croutons and 1 tablespoon cheese; toss again.

Yield: 5 servings.

Watercress Salad with Endive and Orange

1 bunch watercress

2 Belgian endives

2 oranges

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons currants

1 tablespoon capers

Wash the watercress, remove and discard large stems; spin dry and tear into bite-size sprigs. Cut the endives crosswise into one-fourth-inch strips. Cut the rind (both the zest and white pith) off the oranges to expose the flesh. Make V-shaped cuts to remove the individual segments from the membranes, working over a large salad bowl to catch the juice. (There should be 1 to 2 tablespoons juice.)

Add the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to the orange juice in the bowl and whisk until well-blended.

Add the currants and the capers. Just before serving, add the watercress, endives and orange segments. Gently toss to mix and serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings.

Franco’s Bitter Green Salad

4 to 5 cups torn bitter greens (escarole, arugula, chickory and others)

1 carrot

1 stalk celery

1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions or scallions

1 large tomato cut into wedges

3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, oregano and basil)

1-1/2 tablespoons each extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Wash and dry the greens. Shave the carrot into thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice celery on the diagonal. Place greens, vegetables and herbs in mixing bowl. Sprinkle with oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cheese if using. Toss well.

Yield: 4 servings.