Shredded Iceberg Lettuce Salad
February 3rd, 2012AlmostItalian wants to promote the greening of the Superbowl. We’re not talking about enhancing viewers’ color perceptions of the Indianapolis turf in February. Nor are we referring to greenbacks, the mega-bucks spent on Superbowl ads.
And despite the fact that Superbowl Sunday, when several million flat-screen plasma TVs gobble kilowatts long before the big game gets underway, is probably the least environmentally-friendly event in the entire winter calendar, we aren’t even talking about conservation issues.
As usual, we’re talking about the food, which as any football fan can tell you, is what any Superbowl party is all about. But when we cast a critical eye at the typical Superbowl menu of nachos, seven-layer dips, pimiento-cheddar balls, Buffalo wings, and cocktail franks, we think that most viewers’ tables will be woefully short on leafy things from the produce aisle.
And that’s really a pity, because the clean tastes of salads and crudités are great palate cleansers for all the highly seasoned, gooey favorites that are going to be served whether we like it or not. Of course, if you’re already familiar with our AlmostItalian, style, you know that lots of salads and vegetables do appear amidst our party fare, no matter what the gathering…
However, we admit that all this posturing is but a preamble to what may be our easiest AlmostItalian offering, something so simple it’s actually hard to find a recipe for it.
During our years of food research, we have learned that when there isn’t a trail of recipes, techniques as well as ingredients tend to drop out of sight. So, while providing a recipe for Shredded Iceberg Lettuce Salad may not be on the same level as saving scungilli recipes from extinction, we offer it here as an essential ingredient in many an AlmostItalian sandwich.
This is what generations of short-order countermen in Greek diners and Italian sub shops have made to add zip and crunch to their cold-cut sandwiches. For us at AlmostItalian, the salad’s flavors of red-wine vinegar, olive oil, and marjoram are primal— and should never involve an off-the-shelf envelope of “Italian Herb Seasoning” or a bottle of “Italian dressing.”
Ordinarily, we find iceberg lettuce too bland, but for this salad, the crisp texture of iceberg is essential.
So whether your guests mound their plates with this salad or merely add it as a garnish their Italian beef sandwiches, cheese steaks, or Italian combos, we think Superbowl Sunday is the perfect time to get salad off the sidelines and into the game.
Shredded Iceberg Lettuce Salad
Ingredients:
1 tight head of iceberg lettuce* (about 24 ounces)
Seasonings below are for half a head of lettuce (about 12 ounces)
Double the seasonings if you are using the entire head.
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry marjoram,** finely crumbled
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Remove and discard any discolored or loose outer leaves from the head of lettuce.
Place the head on a large cutting board. Hold the head firmly and use a large sharp knife to cut the head in half, from the top to the base.
Hold the half-head, with the flat, cut side against the board. Thinly slice (1/8 inch) the entire lettuce half. Repeat with the 2nd half* if you are using it.
In a large non-reactive bowl, toss the slices to separate them into loosen shreds.
Dried marjoram is the taste we remember from Italian-American delis in the Northeast, many of which were (and still are) run by Greek immigrants who followed Italians into food service.
Toss the dry seasonings with the lettuce. (You can complete these steps up to 6 hours before you dress the salad if you cover the bowl and keep it in a cool place.) 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle the shredded lettuce with the vinegar and oil and gently toss to combine.
After 15 minutes, toss again and taste, adjusting the seasonings as needed.
The lettuce will give up some of its liquid and wilt as it sits, but it will still evoke fond memories…
Store any leftover salad in a covered container in the fridge. Even if your team fails to win on Sunday, the salad will be sure to brighten the most ordinary sandwich on a brown-bag Monday.
