Braised baby gem, pancetta and peas recipe

Cooked lettuce is ideal for summer days when the weather is that of a damp autumn, said Ceri Jones. This dish, a variation on a French-style recipe for braising lettuce with peas and sometimes bacon, uses just a little pancetta: it's a really good example of how meat can be used in small quantities to add depth of flavour without distracting from the veg. Serve with bread to mop up the juices.

Ingredients

• 100g diced pancetta 
• 2 baby gem lettuce (approx. 100g each), sliced into quarters through the core 
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• 160g frozen peas 
• 200ml chicken stock 
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tbsp finely chopped herbs (e.g. tarragon, mint or parsley, or a combination) 
• salt and pepper

Method

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• Warm a lidded, deep, wide frying pan over a medium-high heat (no oil required) and cook the pancetta cubes for around five minutes, until they are browned.
• Remove using a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan. Cook the baby gem lettuce wedges in the pancetta fat, cut-side down for around 90 seconds on each flat side, until just starting to char. Use tongs to lift out of the pan, and set aside.
• Lower the heat, and put the pancetta back into the pan, along with the spring onions and soften for a minute or so. Next add the chickpeas, frozen peas and chicken stock, then nestle the charred lettuce back in, cut side up. Bring to a bubble, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for around ten minutes, or until a knife glides easily through the stalk of the thickest wedge of lettuce.
• Remove the lid, and if the stock needs reducing, cook uncovered for a few minutes more. Dollop in the crème fraîche, and gently shake the pan to dissolve it into the sauce.
• Add the chopped herbs and season to taste – it may already be salty enough because of the pancetta, but you can afford to be liberal with the pepper.
• Tip: serve with a good portion of mashed potatoes for something more substantial.
• Tip: try substituting the baby gem lettuce with larger romaine, cos or wedges of endive.

Taken from It Starts with Veg: 100 Seasonal Suppers and Sides by Ceri Jones, published by Pavilion Books at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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