I don’t know why, but every time I think of iceberg lettuce, I also think about redemption.
Yes, redemption. Because it wasn’t that long ago when a lot of people thought of iceberg as just a tasteless, boring lettuce.
I remember about 10 years ago having lunch with a friend in New York and she questioned why I was ordering a salad with iceberg? She said… “Iceberg is just water and a total waste to eat”.
Now, I understand what peer pressure is all about. Because even I fell into the group of iceberg’s haters and snobs, even though deep down I enjoyed eating it in a nice salad.
All that has changed. We now we see it in magazines and on great restaurant menus. I think about redemption. And I can’t help but think that if the iceburg lettuce could talk, it would be saying something like “Who’s boring now?”
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup chilled buttermilk
- 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces cubed pancetta
- 1 large head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 6 wedges
- 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
Mix first 5 ingredients in a jar, cover tightly, and shake well until combined. Or you can also use your blender. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Arrange lettuce on plates. Spoon dressing over. Sprinkle with pancetta. Garnish with red onion.
