Lamb's lettuce is known and loved by many names. Especially in the winter! Lamb's lettuce is more than a fresh leaf to garnish! Lamb's lettuce as a vegetable instead of a garnish is very tasty, very healthy and you can use it in all directions!
As the name suggests, lamb's lettuce is a typical outdoor representative. A very robust one, because it needs very little thermal energy for its growth. Due to its excellent frost resistance, it easily tolerates temperatures down to minus 15 degrees and can be harvested until January. Then the aromatic greenery comes from sheltered cultivation for a while – just as fresh – before it can be planted again very early in the spring, so that the tender leaves are already fresh from the field at the end of April.
The leaves may be modest in size, but they make up for it with a good dose of healthy vigor! Because in addition to important minerals such as iron, potassium and folic acid, they contain many vitamins and carotenes. Everything is super healthy and ideal for a balanced and very tasty diet in the cold season. And – the smell betrays it – the green aroma miracle is a valerian plant and therefore also has essential oils. By the way, to improve the absorption of the vegetable iron, you can sprinkle the leaves with a little lemon juice.
You can recognize fresh lamb's lettuce by the crispness of the leaves and petioles. The smaller the leaves, the more tender and younger the plant. This also affects the taste. A younger plant has a milder taste. The typical nutty flavor is more pronounced in the larger leaves. The lamb's lettuce, however, should not be too large, because then the leaves are quite hard. The green is best eaten on the day of purchase. Lamb's lettuce stays fresh for 3 days in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator if it is packed. Hint: Place the lettuce in a plastic bag with holes. The packaging extends the shelf life.
So that the enjoyment is not hindered:After shopping at home, thoroughly remove all sand residue from lamb's lettuce. If you wish, you can separate the leaves from the rosette, put them in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. However, the plant is usually left whole, as it is crispier and more visually appealing.
Due to its fine, nutty taste, lamb's lettuce goes particularly well with hearty winter dishes with poultry and game or strong cheese. A hearty sauce with onions and bacon rounds out the winter salad. As a refined salad variation with apples or mushrooms and a classic vinaigrette, it also scores well in the light kitchen. Hint: The dressing should only be added to the lettuce shortly before serving, so that the soft leaves do not collapse.
