Illinois summer wilted leaf lettuce salad

Back in Illinois, where Chuck and I grew up, my dad used to come in from the farm about 9 o'clock every evening and we'd eat dinner no earlier than 9:30 pm.  He grew a huge garden so there was no end to the cleaning of vegetables, snapping of beans, canning and freezing.

At least 3 times a week Dad would come into the house and dump a couple enormous paper bags full of freshly cut leaf lettuce into the sink. My mom was expected to (that was the June Clever days folks - ha) clean all that leaf lettuce and whip up a salad to go with dinner.  The salad is a show stopper...

We make enormous "family" style salads with this recipe several times a week in the summer. (It's just not the same in the winter with "out of season" lettuce. It won't work with anything but fresh, loose leaf lettuce, although I have mixed in spinach and/or beat greens and it was great!)



THIS is the EASY recipe:


Wash and dry an enormous bowl of leaf lettuce. (*this recipe only works well with LEAF lettuce, although you can throw in some spinach, beat greens, etc...) Use WAY more than you think you can possibly eat. It will wilt down to almost nothing! Have it all ready beside the stove.

Take one pound of frozen bacon (we use organic bacon if we can get it because the recipe call for you to use most of the grease) and put it in the microwave for just about 3 minutes on defrost setting. Take it out and put it on a chopping board. Because it is still mostly frozen you can easily chop it into tiny pieces: Just take the still frozen bulk of bacon out of the package and cut it in half, then slice those halves through long-ways a couple times. Now cut against the grain into tiny pieces that will look like little frozen stacks.

Put these pieces in a medium-high, very large skillet and cook until seperated and crispy.

When the bacon is crispy, take the spatula and scoop it out while draining each spatula full. Set aside the bacon bits and leave the grease in the skillet.

Reduce heat a bit and add about a quarter cup of sugar and a half cup of Apple Cider Vinegar to the bacon grease. (Only apple cider vinegar will do this right.) Then add about a half cup water.

Bring the mixture to a bowl. Stir, and stir on medium high heat until sugar is dissolved and half the water is evaporated.

Taste.

I usually need to add about a quarter teaspoon of salt.

It should have a magical salty/sweet/sour taste. You can add sugar,salt or vinegar now to your taste.

I usually just stir and stir with the spatula, and then taste a tiny corner of the liquid off the spatula.

When it's perfect, I get it really boiling and then take it off the heat and immediately drizzle it over the entire salad. Toss in the bacon bits and then toss the salad extensively, over and over. You will see the lettuce wilt after 10 seconds or so.

EAT!..  Everyone fights over this one in our house. There's never enough. We like to have some fresh crusty French bread on the side to dip into the salad dressing left at the bottom of the bowl with the bacon bits. It's a meal!