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Lettuce and tomato salads, with a few strips of onion sometimes, are no longer the only option. The concept of salads has changed over time and there is a wide range of lettuces to choose from, with different sizes, colours and flavours. 

One of these varieties is the oak leaf lettuce. It is called so because its leaves resemble those of the oak tree and its colour ranges from green to purple and red. It is an excellent main ingredient for any salad, since its leaves are crunchy, sweet and also curly, which makes it highly attractive for decoration. It combines with blue cheese squares, chopped walnuts and extra-virgin olive oil. It can also be used as garnishing for game meats, for instance, combined with lamb’s lettuce and sautéed mushroom. 

Due to the greater influence of the sun, spring and summer lettuce varieties have usually more nutrients than autumn and winter ones. We should also pick the ones with darker hues, such as the oak leaf lettuce, because they are nutritious. 

Endless combinations

A salad leaf mix can be added as many ingredients as we wish, always taking into account that the texture contrast is as important as the seasoning. There are endless options: sliced, raw mushrooms sprinkled with lemon so as to avoid oxidation, all kind of small vegetables, either boiled al dente or raw, citric fruits to give the salad an acid, juicy touch, Iberian pork ham or duck ham, pre-cooked peeled shellfish and even foie slices. 

The Lettuce Family offers another variety, the radicchio, which is characterised by its peculiar purple-coloured leaves with a white nervure. It has a firm, crunchy texture and a fairly bitter flavour, which is why it should be used in small amounts only. It can be eaten raw, with just a dribble of olive oil and a pinch of salt, and also mixed. It can be combined with different types of lettuce, such as the endive, and with other ingredients - namely tomatoes, carrots, oranges or eggs. You will give a different touch to your dishes if you add it to your risottos or pizzas, because it can be sautéed and cooked in the oven.

Another ingredient that can be easily found in the market nowadays is the lamb’s lettuce; it is formed by deep green, small leaves forming small bunches with 4 to 6 leaves each. Its flavour is delicate, walnut-like, with piquant background notes and it has a crunchy texture. It can be used as garnishing, it provides your dishes with a fresh touch and it can be consumed either raw, with a dressing, or in exquisite salads with tomato, mushrooms, walnuts and hazelnuts.

If we want to add lamb’s lettuce to a salad, we should do it just before serving the dish and after having added the dressing so that it may remain fresh. Strong seasonings, such as vinegar or oil, and heat would spoil it quickly; it would lose its texture and get darker. 

Mixed with vegetables and fruits

They are ideal to prepare fresh vegetable salads with spinach, carrots, mushrooms, onions and sweet corn, sprinkled with a walnut dressing; although you can give it a different touch adding an emulsion of cream, vanilla, lemon juice and olive oil instead. 

You can also place them on a dish, with avocado strips on top and add sliced mushrooms and finely-sliced parmesan cheese. Then, you can prepare a dressing with oil, lemon, chopped garlic, salt and pepper and add it right before serving the salad. If you want to add this dressing to a salad made with lamb’s lettuce only, it is preferable to leave the garlic out, so that the taste of the lamb’s lettuce can be fully perceived. 

They are usually eaten raw, in salads with endives, celery or beetroot. They also combine with dried fruit, vegetable sprouts, and fruits such as oranges, green apples, grapefruit and other vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, avocados or mushrooms. They are particularly nice when mixed with different types of cheese, such as Roquefort, goat cheese, feta cheese or Brie. You can also serve them with raisins, sweet corn, pine nuts and bits of cured cheese, sprinkled with a dressing of oil and Modena vinegar. 

And remember to use light dressings for tender fresh lettuce and stronger ones for those lettuce varieties with fleshy, curly leaves. The delicate flavour of lamb’s lettuce goes well with a light dressing, which makes it possible to enjoy their green, fresh flavour. The French dressing is perfect for leaf salads; it is made by adding a teaspoon of sugar or honey and another spoonful of mustard to the basic vinaigrette.

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