after winter’s scarcity; in northeast Italy, for example, pistic is a springtime collection of more than 50 different wild greens boiled and then sauteed together Because they’re thin and broad, leaves both edible (lettuce, cabbage, grape) and inedible (banana, fig, bamboo) are used as wrappers to contain, protect, and aromatize fillings of meat, fish, grains, and other foods They’re often blanched first to make the leaves flaccid and pliable Though many leaf vegetables have distinctive flavors, most of them share a common, fresh aroma note referred to as “green” or “grassy.” This comes from particular molecules that are 6 carbon atoms long — “leaf alcohol” (hexanol) and “leaf aldehyde” (hexanal) — and that are produced when leaves are cut or crushed The cell damage frees enzymes that break up the long fatty-acid carbon chains in the membranes of the chloroplasts (p 261) Cooking inactivates the enzymes and causes their products to react with other molecules, so the fresh green note fades and other aromas become more prominent The Lettuce Family: Lettuces, Chicories, Dandelion Greens The lettuce family, or the Compositae, is the second largest family of flowering plants, and yet it contributes only a few food plants The most prominent are lettuce and its relatives, the primary components of our raw salads Preparing Salads Even though salads of raw greens don’t require cooking, they do require care in the preparation Start with good ingredients: fresh young leaves are the least fibrous and have the most delicate flavor, while old overgrown lettuces can taste almost rubbery If the leaves need to be divided ... Chicories, Dandelion Greens The lettuce family, or the Compositae, is the second largest family of flowering plants, and yet it contributes only a few food plants The most prominent are lettuce and its relatives, the primary components of our raw salads.. .the enzymes and causes their products to react with other molecules, so the fresh green note fades and other aromas become more prominent The Lettuce Family: Lettuces, Chicories, Dandelion Greens... the primary components of our raw salads Preparing Salads Even though salads of raw greens don’t require cooking, they do require care in the preparation Start with good ingredients: fresh young leaves are the least fibrous and