Stir-Fried Lettuce, Mushrooms, & Steamers (serves 2)

Stir-Fried Lettuce, Mushrooms, & Steamers

My father often makes stir-fry dishes from vegetables that I would not think to use or believe they would be tasty. For example in the summer he would stir fry cucumbers. His dishes always come out sweet and delicious. My friends Karen and Jim (yes the same ones who gave me the duck some posts ago!) gave me a head of lettuce from their garden. Jim is our neighborhood green thumb! He also grows some amazing tomatoes every year. My father inspires me to make this dish using fresh steamers, baby bella mushrooms, Jim and Karen's lettuce, and Moniqua's scallions. Thank you Jim, Karen and Moniqua!!

When cooking with white or baby bella mushrooms in such a dish as this the liquid will come out quite a bit especially after cooking. For the steamers (or clams) I steamed them for 5 minutes. Once cooled enough to handle I removed and discarded the outer black covering. I then dipped them all in a little of their broth to remove any sand/mud. I like to save the rest of the broth for cooking later. Check out my Linguine and Steamers post for more information on how to clean them.  

Happy Independence Day! 

healthy lettuce from Jim & Karen's garden
(photo courtesy of Karen)

Stir-Fried Lettuce, Mushrooms, & Steamers (serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and chopped
1 bunch scallion (green part only), washed, cut into 1 inch lengths
2 containers (12 oz total) of baby bella mushrooms, trimmed the ends, halved
2 Tbsp of clam stock
1 head of lettuce, washed, cut into 2 inch lengths
About 2 lbs steamers, washed, steamed and removed the outer skin
About 1 Tbsp of oyster sauce
A few drizzles of fish sauce
A few pinches of sugar
1 Tbsp of cornstarch mix with 2 Tbsp of clam stock

Method:

1) Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic and scallions. Saute about a minute.
2) Add mushrooms and clam stock. Saute about 2-3 minutes.
3) Add lettuce and steamers. Saute until the lettuce is wilted.
4) Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken. Turn off heat.

Portsmouth, NH celebrated 4th of July
with a spectacular fireworks on the 3rd (2016)