According to Herodotus, Lettuces were served at the
royal tables of the Persians more than 400 years before
the Christian era. In A.D. 200 they are mentioned as
producing the opium of Galen, the celebrated Greek
physician, a fact which led to the discovery of a mild
narcotic drug contained in the juice of those which are
bitter by age and overgrowth. This sedative power of
the ordinary salad Lettuce is so small that it would be
difficult to appreciate any such effect even after eating
heartily of them. The name Lettuce is said to be a
corruption of the French word l ait, indicating their
milky cjualities, and from this milk the medicinal
lactucarium is produced by extraction.
Besides the following numerous receipts for preparing
Lettuce for the table, others in which Lettuces are used
will be found distributed through this Encyclopaedia.
Baked stuffed Lettuces. — Pick, clean, pare, and thoroughly
wash six Lettuce-heads, parboil them for five minutes,
drain well, and fill the insides with godiveau or sausage
forcemeat. Tie each head, and put them in a saute-pan,
laying down carefully, and add 1 gill each of Madeira
sauce and white broth. Season moderately with salt and
pepper, cover with buttered paper, and cook in the oven
for fifteen minutes. Arrange on a hot dish, untie, pour
the sauce over, and serve.
Braise:! Lettuces. — Select some freshly-gathered Lettuces
with firm white hearts, wash well in several waters, then
plunge them into a saucepan of boiling water and boil
for five minutes. Take out the Lettuces with a skimmer,
refresh them, then press well with the hands to extract
as much of the water as possible; put some thin slices of
bacon at the bottom of a stewpan, fold the Lettuces, lay
them in, season well, and cover with unskimmed broth.
Put a sheet of greased paper over the Lettuces, and
braise for an-hour-and-a-quarter on a slow fire, with hot
ashes on the lid of the stewpan. When the moisture is
reduced to a glaze, drain the Lettuces, put them on a
hot dish, pour over some brown sauce or rich gravy, and
serve.
Braised stuffed Lettuces. — Having selected the required
quantity of Lettuces, trim, wash, blanch, and drain them ;
cut the middle leaves out very carefully, fill the hollow
with a fowl-and-truffle forcemeat, then tie the Lettuces
round with string; line a stewpan with some slices of veal,
place in some chopped carrots, onions, and a bunch of
sweet herbs, put in the Lettuces, moisten to their height
with stock, and braise. Warm some bechamel sauce
together with the yolk of an egg, put the Lettuces on a
hot dish, and serve with the sauce poured over them.
Cream of Lettuce. — Wash thoroughly the green leaves of
three good-sized heads of Lettuce; drain, chop, place them
in a saucepan with lib. of butter, and cook for five
minutes, stirring lightly. Moisten with 2qts. of broth,
Lettuces — continued.
season with 1 table-spoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of pepper,
and \ teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, add a bouquet garni
and 4oz. of well-cleaned raw rice, cover the saucepan,
and cook for forty-five minutes ; then remove the bouquet,
and strain the soup through a fine sieve. Clean the sauce-
pan well, replace the soup in it, and heat thoroughly, but
do not let it boil, meanwhile stirring gently with a spatula.
Pour in 1 pint of sweet cream✪ Cream of Lettuce, stir a little more, and
turn it into a hot soup-tureen. Serve with croutons of fried
bread.
Page 337 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1892. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
According to Herodotus, Lettuces were served at the royal tables of the Persians more than 400 years before the Christian era. In A.D. 200 they are mentioned as producing the remedy of Galen, the celebrated Greek physician, a fact which led to the discovery of a mild narcotic drug contained in the juice of those which are bitter by age and overgrowth. This sedative power of the ordinary salad Lettuce is so small that it would be difficult to appreciate any such effect even after eating heartily of them. The name Lettuce is said to be a corruption of the French word l ait, indicating their milky cjualities, and from this milk the medicinal lactucarium is produced by extraction.
Besides the following numerous receipts for preparing Lettuce for the table, others in which Lettuces are used will be found distributed through this Encyclopaedia. Baked stuffed Lettuces. — Pick, clean, pare, and thoroughly wash six Lettuce-heads, parboil them for five minutes, drain well, and fill the insides with godiveau or sausage forcemeat. Tie each head, and put them in a saute-pan, laying down carefully, and add 1 gill each of Madeira sauce and white broth. Season moderately with salt and pepper, cover with buttered paper, and cook in the oven for fifteen minutes. Arrange on a hot dish, untie, pour the sauce over, and serve.
Braise:! Lettuces. — Select some freshly-gathered Lettuces with firm white hearts, wash well in several waters, then plunge them into a saucepan of boiling water and boil for five minutes. Take out the Lettuces with a skimmer, refresh them, then press well with the hands to extract as much of the water as possible; put some thin slices of bacon at the bottom of a stewpan, fold the Lettuces, lay them in, season well, and cover with unskimmed broth. Put a sheet of greased paper over the Lettuces, and braise for an hour and a quarter on a slow fire, with hot ashes on the lid of the stewpan. When the moisture is reduced to a glaze, drain the Lettuces, put them on a hot dish, pour over some brown sauce or rich gravy, and serve.
Braised stuffed Lettuces. — Having selected the required quantity of Lettuces, trim, wash, blanch, and drain them ; cut the middle leaves out very carefully, fill the hollow with a fowl-and-truffle forcemeat, then tie the Lettuces round with string; line a stewpan with some slices of veal, place in some chopped carrots, onions, and a bunch of sweet herbs, put in the Lettuces, moisten to their height with stock, and braise. Warm some bechamel sauce together with the yolk of an egg, put the Lettuces on a hot dish, and serve with the sauce poured over them.
Cream of Lettuce. — Wash thoroughly the green leaves of three good-sized heads of Lettuce; drain, chop, place them in a saucepan with lib. of butter, and cook for five minutes, stirring lightly. Moisten with 2qts. of broth,
Lettuces — continued.
season with 1 table-spoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of pepper, and \ teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, add a bouquet garni and 4oz. of well-cleaned raw rice, cover the saucepan, and cook for forty-five minutes ; then remove the bouquet, and strain the soup through a fine sieve. Clean the saucepan well, replace the soup in it, and heat thoroughly, but do not let it boil, meanwhile stirring gently with a spatula. Pour in 1 pint of sweet cream, stir a little more, and turn it into a hot soup-tureen. Serve with croutons of fried bread.
Records on this page
Cream of Lettuce