Lettuce Spears Me

The Halifax Version

Although I was the one who made these for Dad's birthday, the original idea was Shelley's -- and a great idea it is.  We wanted most of the food at the party to be easy to eat using fingers, but we wanted to keep it on the healthier side at the same time too.  Luckily, my cousin is a very smart cookie.

Although this might seem like it's kind of a fussy dish to prepare, it's actually pretty easy.  Since I've returned to Tampa, I've made this once or twice myself.  These are great for nibbling while watching TV -- much healthier than potato chips.

I've purposely not put amounts with most of these items as the combinations are really just suggestions.
(Ross)



Salad Spears
One or two heads of Romaine Lettuce
Asian Noodles
1 to 2 tsp Garlic Oil
Red Pepper
Parmesan or Romano Cheese

• Boil the noodles according to the package directions, then drain and rinse in cold water.  Let these cool.  When I made these spears in Halifax, I used Quick Boil Fried Noodles (something I found at Superstore), but here in Tampa, I've just been using Ramen noodles instead.  Lesson learned:  break the Ramen noodles into smaller pieces before boiling as they are very long and difficult to use after they are soft.
• Once the noodles are cool, add the garlic oil to the noodles and toss to make sure all is evenly coated.
• Dice the red pepper fairly finely and add it to noodles, tossing again to evenly distribute.
• Remove the outer leaves of the romaine and save for future use.  The picture on the right shows the leaves I used for the Salad Spears I made last night.  They should be small enough to be sturdy and easy to handle, but large enough to hold some of the noodle filling.
• Spread the lettuce spears out on a plate and then add some of the noodle mixture along the spine of the leaf.
• Grate the Parmesan or Romano over the top of each spear.
• Enjoy leisurely.

Using Ramen Noodles