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Oct 2, 2008 5:17 pm US/Eastern
Tony Tantillo: Iceberg Lettuce
(CBS)
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CBS 2 HD food reporter Tony Tantillo.
CBS
Well, this week's tip is going to be with iceberg lettuce.
I haven't done a tip on iceberg lettuce in a long time; it's still the staple of all lettuces. As a matter of fact, it still outsells everything 5 to 1. It's the number one selling lettuce for salads, but it's lost some of its luster because of its nutritional value, but I love iceberg lettuce. Alright, its nutritional value is very low, but it is delicious, it is crisp; just add other lettuces to it to give it the nutritional value.
Let's talk about selection shall we?
When you buy it, you want to make sure the head is large because it's usually sold by the piece not the pound, so the bigger the better.
Check the bottom where it's been cut. Right here it can change color a little bit as long as it doesn't change around where it was cut, and that there's no browning around the bottom of the lettuce, and make sure it's fairly heavy. That means it is packed with leaves, and that's a good thing. Again, you're paying by the piece, so the bigger and heavier…you'll get a bigger bang ro your buck.
When you buy your lettuce, 90% of the time it's sold wrapped in plastic, so take the plastic off before you put it in the refrigerator; that is so important. In the plastic it will heat up and decay quicker, so take it out, and crisp it in some water. Then put it in the refrigerator and it'll stay nice and crispy for your salad.
Taco Salad
Normally taco salads are dreadful concoctions of "plastic" cheese, cold hamburger meat, and deep-fried tortilla shells. This one, however, is light and fresh. It's probably the only time I use iceberg lettuce.
Serves 4
1 pound tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt
3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 medium to large sweet onion such as Vidalia, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)
2 jalapeno peppers
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon each cider vinegar and lime juice
2 teaspoons toasted cumin, ground
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
About 40 low-fat baked tortilla chips, lightly crushed
1. Toss tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, shred lettuce and cabbage, slice onion, seed and chop jalapeño peppers. Put all in a mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup of the cilantro.
3. Drain tomatoes, saving juice, and add tomatoes to lettuce mixture. Combine 2 tablespoons of the tomato juice with the olive oil, vinegar, limejuice, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Add about ¾ of the dressing to the salad and toss well. Taste and add more dressing if desired.
4. Put salad on 4 plates. Top with cheese, then tortilla chips. Sprinkle on remaining cilantro.
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