braised lettuce

we had this with the bison stew the other night. i thought i would include the recipe as here most people wouldn’t think of cooking a lettuce. i’d recommend it. it’s a nice accompaniment to meat or fish dishes but i think it would also make a great base for a vegetarian meal or a snack – maybe with some fontina or gruyere cheese melted on top and something starchy to mop up the juices.

BRAISED LETTUCE
for 2

2 small gem lettuces
a spring of thyme, leaves picked
½ tbs or so of butter, cut into small cubes
100ml chicken or vegetable stock
olive oil
seasoning

cut the lettuces in half lengthwise without removing the tough end bit (this stops them from falling apart – you can always cut it off just before serving). heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the lettuces, cut side down, for a couple of minutes. they should be golden brown. season, then add the butter and the thyme. when the butter has stopped sizzling, pour in the stock and cover the whole thing with some wet greaseproof paper (just cut a bit off, run it under the tap and wring it out with your hands). reduce the heat and simmer for another 10 minutes or a bit less.