Want a refreshing side vegetable that is easy to grow and prepare? Try Celtuce -- also known as Chinese stalk lettuce! It grows quickly and easily in southeastern Pennsylvania (and I suspect many other growing zones). As is true of most dark green leafy vegetables, Celtuce is packed with vitamins A and C and lots of other nutrition!

Plant them thickly and thin out the plants as they grow, eating the tender small leaves just like lettuce raw in salad. Then the plant will start to grow tall with thick stalks, usually a sign with lettuce that its time to ditch the plant -- no so with Celtuce! This instructable will show you how to prepare the mature leaves and the delectable stalk.

Supplies

Celtuce is easy to grow, pick up the seeds from your favorite seed distributor and plant them outside in the spring. Or look for the stalks (probably won't have the leaves any more) from your local international farmer's market or specialty grocer.
olive oil or butter
salt
ground black pepper
pot for boiling water
sharp knife or vegetable peeler
cutting board
frying pan
stove

Step 1: Growing and Harvesting the Celtuce

Plant your celtuce and enjoy a spring of fresh greens waiting for your Celtuce to mature.

Once the plant is mature, cut the stalk close to the soil or just pull out the plant. I pick them to thin out the remaining plants.

Step 2: Prepping the Leaves

Pull all the leaves from the stalks. Discard any discolored leaves near the base and feed them to your chickens or put them in your compost.
Wash the leaves well, I like to wash each leaf individually to make sure I get any dirt out so the final dish is not gritty.
Rough chop the leaves into pieces and set them aside until its time to cook them.

Step 3: Prepping the Stalk

Rinse the stalk to remove any dirt, and cut off the two ends. We are going to use the inner part of the stalk, so I cut off the top until there is some thickness of the stalk.

You can use a vegetable peeler to trim off the outer skin, but I find it goes faster if you have a very sharp knife. You are going to cut away the thick fibrous outer skin from the stalk. You will see the outer layer is a very light green and the core is a deeper green color.

I cut the very long stalk into several segments and work around the outside to trim the outer layer. Make sure you have all of that outer layer removed because its bitter and very fibrous (meaning impossible for meer humans to chew)!

Once you have the outer layer trimmed away, cut them into matchstick pieces. Its normal for there to be cavities inside the stalk.

Step 4: Cooking the Celtuce

Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.

Gently place the Celtuce pieces in the water.

Boil for ten minutes. (I find them perfect each time after ten minutes, you are looking for them to be fork tender -- if you overcook them, they will turn to mush.)

While the stalks are boiling, heat some olive oil or butter in a frying pan.

After ten minutes, use tongs to pull the celtuce from the water, shake it off a bit or dry it and then put the stalks into the frying pan to cook. Turn the stalks a few times.

Once the stalks brown a little, remove them from the pan and set them on one side of your serving platter. Then add the leaves to the frying pan. The leaves will dramatically reduce in volume as they cook, turn them frequently until they have all wilted. Remove them from the pan and put them on the other side of the serving platter.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy your Celtuce! It makes a great side vegetable for a summer meal.