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Thursday 10 March 2011

tired, run down, listless … how about a little lambs tongue ?




We were walking the dogs on top of our world - Jean Marie forever fearful of an empty fridge suggested a salad for dinner - I gently reminded him that at 6pm - 11 kilometers from the nearest shop  it wasn't likely.  His best friend the pocket knife came to the rescue and low and behold he started to pick out little tufts of green leaves from the field.       

Mache is the French name. Shaped like a lambs tongue it is also called "doucette" or cornsalad in English.  Mache is one of the most delicate salad greens, and one of the most cold hardy and it would need to be to survive the bitter winters here in Burgundy. The greens grow from a mass of fibrous roots. 
 
It's no coincidence that our energy is low in winter we are more vulnerable, and our immune defences tend to weaken. Come February/ March we are all tired, run down, listless … 

The best remedy is vitamin C, a true guardian of our immune system. Did you know that 150 g of lamb's tongue lettuce (one basket, or about 5 oz.) contains 95% of our recommended daily intake of vitamin C? Lamb's tongue lettuce brings along all the vitamins and minerals we need to recharge our batteries. What more could you want?
Specialists say that in winter we tend to suffer from a lack of B group vitamins, particularly vitamin B9, which has anti-enemic properties and combats fatigue - even more so than vitamin C which is the defender of our immune system. Found on the market from October until March, Lamb's Lettuce is one of the rare green winter vegetables. Beneath its chlorophyll, these little leaves contain large amounts of an orange pigment called beta-carotene, a natural anti-oxidant that combats cell aging. It's even better when combined with vitamin C, as is the case with lamb tongue lettuce. Together these two vitamins help us stay in top form throughout the winter.




The simplest way to prepare mache is to use it as a salad ingredient without cooking. Use delicate young leaves as the taste is very mild and sweet, when older, it develops a certain bitterness.
Thoroughly washed - with slices of beetroot and a few walnuts is the best way appreciate this dish.  
To my mind the perfect vinaigrette is made with moutarde de Dijon, a filet of honey vinegar (one part vinegar to three parts oil) - add a dash of salt and pepper that is all that is needed  to enhance this dish.

Anti-stress, anti-fatigue and chock full of vitamins, lamb's lettuce doesn't lack spirit!

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