Grilled lettuce with sauerkraut sauce

Sometimes something seems complicated, but turns out to be very simple. The reverse can also be true. The simple-looking but bizarrely delicious grilled lettuce by chef Benny Blisto of Amsterdam restaurant BAK is somewhere in between.

Grilled lettuce sounds simple, and it is; sauerkraut sauce, at first hearing, sounds much more difficult than it ultimately is. And fermented wild garlic will be a showstopper for some. That is why Benny Blisto has a suitable alternative in this fresh, tangy summer dish for anyone who does not want to or cannot pick and ferment wild garlic: kimchi from the Asian grocery store. It can be that simple.

Preparation

Cut the lettuce into quarters, wash and trim the leaves. Drizzle with a little olive oil or rapeseed oil and grill the inside surfaces on the barbecue. Allow 1 quarter per person.

For the lovage oil, pick the lovage, blanch it, dry it and then blend it in a blender or Thermomix with some rapeseed or sunflower oil.

For the sauerkraut sauce, cook the sauerkraut and sliced onion with water until completely tender, then blend in the blender and leave to cool. Once the mixture is cold, mix it with buttermilk, horseradish juice and the lovage oil.

Optional: for the fermented wild garlic, wash the stems and leaves thoroughly, weigh them and add 2% salt. Vacuum-seal and leave to ferment for about 10 days. Alternative: kimchi from the Asian grocery store.

Place the grilled lettuce on a plate or in a bowl, and drizzle over the sauerkraut sauce and lovage oil. Garnish with the freshly chopped herbs, along with some fermented wild garlic or kimchi. Finish with bottarga powder, available for example here.

Recipe: chef Benny Blisto of restaurant BAK, Amsterdam
Image: Marjan Ippel