Juicy, bright and delicate lettuce leaves can be used not only to decorate various delicacies, but also to create a dish of the same name. Considering that different types of lettuce have an absolutely excellent taste and appearance, they can be interestingly mixed with each other, with vegetables and other products. And the main success of the resulting dish depends, first of all, on the quality of the salad used. That is why its choice should be approached thoroughly.
Instructions
Step 1
Use different types of lettuce to prepare your meals. The most common on the Russian table is the half-cabbage lettuce, which is one of the oldest on the planet. However, other types are also suitable for decorating the table and preparing various treats, for example, arugula, watercress, iceberg lettuce, Chinese salad and others. Each of them has a unique taste and contains many useful substances in its composition.
Step 2
Try to buy lettuce on the market, and from those sellers who themselves are engaged in the cultivation of this product. Usually, their greens are of a higher quality than in the supermarket or those who simply resell the products purchased at vegetable stores. The price for such a salad may be slightly higher, but you can view the purchased product from all sides and even taste it.
Step 3
Be sure to hold the salad in your hands before buying it, having examined most of its leaves. They should not be torn, eaten up by some insects or withered - all this indicates the poor quality of the product. It happens that sellers put less high-quality leaves inside the bundle, and on top they mask them with bright and beautiful ones.
Step 4
Pay attention to the color of the lettuce, the leaves of which should be suitable for a certain type of green or burgundy-purple hue. Lettuce, for example, has bright green or maroon leaves, iceberg lettuce is light green, and arugula is distinguished by leaves of a dark green uniform color. But in any case, this product should not be yellow or have any obscure stains.
Step 5
Buy only dry lettuce. Vendors sometimes spray the greens throughout the day to maintain their attractive appearance. This usually happens during the hot summer period. Of course, such a salad looks prettier, but you will have to eat it almost immediately, since in the refrigerator it will lose its taste and beauty in just a few hours. Especially if you put it there wet.
Step 6
Combine lettuce types correctly with each other and with other foods. Crispy Chinese salad, for example, is best mixed with lettuce or iceberg lettuce, and tender arugula with the same soft watercress leaves. In any case, all of these types are perfect with fresh herbs, seafood, tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, bell peppers, soft cheese, olive oil, balsamic or wine vinegar, lemon juice, as well as mustard and black pepper.
