One of the best ways of using up a glut of lettuces is to make a lettuce risotto. Lettuce is surprisingly good cooked. In fact, this risotto can be used up all sorts of summer vegetables that always seem to arrive at once such as peas, broad beans and spring onions
Use two large or three small lettuces, a mixture of varieties works best. Shred.
1. Boil a litre of vegetable stock (or chicken stock) and allow to cool.
2. Heat three table spoons of olive oil in a pan and add a finely chopped onion until it is soft.
3. Add a chopped garlic clove and cook for a further two minutes
4. Add 300 grams of Arborio rice and stir until each grain is coated in oil.
5. Poor in a ladle of the stock and continue to add ladles at intervals for about 15 minutes until the rice is done. If the rice absorbs all the stock had some boiled water from a kettle.
6. Add the lettuce, stir and leave for about five minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
7. Add a dash of olive oil, season and serve.
