wilkes

I knew what are u talking about wilted lettuce with onion n fatback grease. My mom always have the black seeded simpson lettuce which looked like a wilted lettuce in her garden when it is cool weather. I do think grocery store should have them. It is really small wilted lettuce. I also do love them better than head lettuce. Maybe you can ask ur friend or family to see if they have them in their garden. Hope this will help you, SteeldMagnolia.

my grandma use to use lettuce and onions, nothing else, cut up your lettuce and onions(she used the tops also) then she would heat the bacon grease and pour it on top, and tossed the mixture a few times in a huge bowl,, the men would add salt and pepper to it after it was on their own plates,it was very important to my granny that it was the last thing fixed for supper, its not good when its cold, (she would say)..good luck

bagged assorted lettuce mixture, coursly chopped onions (and tops if available,) sliced radishes are good, grated carrot optional.

The secret is the dressing:

1/4 cup bacon drippings, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp canola or corn oil, and 3 to 4 pieces of crispy bacon which has been crumbled rather fine.

Bring to near boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Carefully taste dressing. It should be vinegary but very sweet.

All salad ingredients are placed in bowl. Hot dressing is poured liberally over salad greens, stirred, and covered with a lid for a minute or so. Restir greens and serve. Croutons if you wish.


Now when I was a young person my mother made this in the spring and used natural ingredients along with leaf lettuce, spring onions, and new, small radishes. We gathered for her the following wild herbs: new strawberry leaves, newly emerged chickory, tender wild lettuce, tender water cress, newly emerged blackberry and catbrier shoots, and newly emerged fiddlehead ferns. This was a very good salad with freshly baked buttermilk cornbread (thick crusted reddish brown from the black dutch oven), real cow butter, big bowl of pinto beans that had been cooking slowly all day long on the stove.

I write this with sadness and gladness as I remember my mother and her wonderful food. I see her standing by the table with her apron on and her hair, beautifully blond and with a wisp or two escaping her head cover that she wore when she cooked, her humming some old mountain tune in that special mountain accent that used to be so common in the higher mountain communities.

Funny how memories of food brings back the simple things that are so very dear to our memories.

I have looked up recipes online, but there are so many variations I have no idea which one he is used to, and i wanted it to be a surprise.
Thought that asking here would give me a better idea.

The first time i ever heard of wilted lettuce and onions was here on GW. Its not something that my mother made while we were growing up, or I'd know how to make it.

I've recently taken in one of my son's friends and he's mentioned that its one of his favorites and I'd like to make it for him for a special occasion that is coming soon,

So could someone clue me on how to make this?