Killed Salad

My mother did not become an adventurous cook until her 4 kids  left the nest.  However, she did make wilted lettuce salad in early spring.  We loved it (well, we loved bacon, not so much the lettuce).  Now as an adult, I look forward to the delicate green leaves tossed in hot bacon fat and slightly sweet vinegar dressing with BACON, hard boiled egg, and sweet onion.

Recently, I learned that in Tennessee this salad is called Killed Salad:  same bacon and sweet/sour dressing.  I went to the Internet to confirm this and found a lot of greens have been wilted/killed as salad.

According to the Internet, the recipe is an old Appalachian dish made with whatever greens were available and spring onions.

Whether it is called killed lettuce, kilt lettuce, wilted lettuce, lettuce and onions, lettuce, or killed salad try it soon before the tender greens are gone.

Here is my recipe for 3-4 servings:  do ahead – hard boil 2 eggs and fry crisp 2-4 slices of bacon (I like thick bacon for this; save the fat!!!).

1 bag of greens from AFM vendor (wash and dry it; I use salad spinner)  1 bunch spring onions sliced with green tops (I have used sweet onion)

Heat bacon fat (3-4 Tbsp) in frying pan with slices of onion.  Add 1/2 – 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 -3/4 tsp salt and fresh pepper to frying onions.  Add 4 Tbsp cider vinegar and heat mixture stirring til mixed and quite hot.  Pour dressing over greens in big salad bowl and quick toss to get hot dressing over the greens before it cools.

This can be a meal with thick slices of crusty bread, which you can also get at the Market!  Enjoy!!!