Recipes

[Carmie]

Yesterday we drove past a restaurant that had a sign out front advertising creamed lettuce.

I have never heard of it.  I looked it up and it is a real food.  It almost seems like a cole slaw dressing of sorts poured over torn lettuce with chopped hard boiled eggs mixed in.

Has anyone ever heard of this?  It doesn't sound very good to me, but who knows? It appears to be an Amish recipe.

[Desertdi]

[Puggywuggy]

Hmm, I hadn't heard of it either. Thank you @Desertdi we can always count on you!

[Desertdi]

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@Puggywuggy wrote:
Hmm, I hadn't heard of it either. Thank you @Desertdi we can always count on you!

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@Puggywuggy   

Me, either.    I thought it might be something served on toast...     di

[tessam]

Curiosity got the better of me.

Think wilted lettuce salad

Ingredients

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• 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half (regular milkjust doesn’t seem to work with this - the heavy cream version is my favorite, but half-and-half will do in a pinch!) 
  ¼ cup sugar
  ¼ cider vinegar
  1 head romaine lettuce, chopped into bite size pieces (I like to chop mine quite small) 
  ½ sweet onion, sliced into thin rings and the rings then cut in half 
  salt and pepper

***edited to remove links

How to make it

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• Clean the romaine, if needed, and cut into small pieces.
• Slice the onion and toss it with the lettuce.
• Salt and pepper the salad (yes, you put the salt and pepper directly on the lettuce and onion, not in the dressing - don’t ask me why…it’s just how my mother did it and it works!)
• In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour in the heavy cream or half-and-half.
• Stir in the sugar and whisk well until the sugar is dissolved.
• Whisk in the vinegar, whisking until the mixture thickens just a bit.
• Pour the dressing over the lettuce and onions and toss well.

[Desertdi]

Cream and Vinegar?    I would think that would curdle...

[KingstonMom]

I'm sorry, but that sounds gross!

[haddon9]

To me lettuce should have a bit of a crunch. Creamy lettuce just sounds like it's wilted and unappetizing.

[Citrine1]

Doesn't sound so great.  It was mentioned that this appears to be an Amish recipe.  I wouldn't be surprised.  I find they have some peculiar dishes.  

[PA Mom-mom]

@Carmie  I serve this "Dutchy" salad every Easter. It has to be dressed right before serving so it doen's have a chance to wilt. It is a favorite in my family.

Dutchy Salad

This is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch salad.  It is similar to a 7 layer salad, but not as complicated.  The thing that makes it Dutchy is the sweet and sour dressing.  Serve it with your Easter ham or beside Chicken Corn Soup.  It is almost a meal in itself.

Ingredients:

1 head lettuce washed, dried and torn (I use Romaine because it stands up to the dressing)

1-2 cups of frozen baby peas

1 red onion (cut any way you like it in a salad) soak cut onion in ice water for 10 min. and drain before assembling the salad shredded or grated cheddar cheese (optional)

3-4 strips of crumbled bacon (you can leave this out if you don’t eat bacon, but then it won’t be as Dutchy.

3 hard-cooked eggs - sliced

 

Dressing (can be doubled if using the package of 3 Romaine heads)

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (or a combo of dry mustard and prepared to taste)

 2 tablespoons heavy cream (use the rest in your coffee or with fruit)

2 ½ tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ c. Miracle Whip

2 tablespoons vinegar

 

Directions:

Mix together salt, sugar, mustard and cream.  Add vinegar and salad dressing and stir until smooth.  Make sure you taste the dressing for the correct sweet/sour combination.  Sometimes it seems to want more vinegar. Refrigerate to chill.

This dressing can be made a day ahead of time and put into a non-reactive container in the refrigerator.

To assemble the salad, put lettuce in a big bowl sprinkle frozen peas and onions (cheese and bacon, if desired) decoratively on top.  You can hold the assembled salad in the refrigerator for a half hour or so, but don’t let the peas lose their crispness.  I like to dress the salad and lightly mix it at the table, or you can do it just before going to the table.