LADERES: Foods braised in olive oil, simmered until done, and served lukewarm or cold
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LADOLEMONO (Greece): Oil and lemon juice dressing
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LANGOSTA (langouste): Spiny lobster, native to Caribbean waters, highly prized for the meat of its tail. It lacks the large claws of the northern lobster
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LAOS (java root, lengkuas, kha): Thick root of a Malayan plant of the ginger family. Sold in powdered form or as dried stem pieces in Indonesian or Oriental specialty stores
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LAVER: Laver, the Welsh edible seaweed, is gathered along the rocky South Wales and Gower Coast, at Marloss and in Pembrokeshire, and is much used as a breakfast dish, in salads and as a hors d’oeuvre. It is a reddish-purple, rather filmy variety of seaweed, its fronds impregnated with iodine.
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LECHOSA: Spanish word for PAPAYA
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LEMON GRASS (sereh, takrai, lemongrass): Aromatic, lemon-flavored tropical grass, widely used in Indonesian and Southeast Asian cooking. It is available fresh in Hawaii and Puerto Rico. It can easily be grown from clipped rooted plants available by mail in limited quantities from select greenhouses or nurseries. Three to six roots will multiply fast enough to provide an adequate household supply. Grow outdoors in warm climates; in cooler climates, grow outdoors during warm months and potted indoors when it is cold. Available dried as a powder or as dried blades (daun sereh) from Indonesian and some Oriental specialty shops
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LENGKUAS: See LAOS.
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LETTUCE BIBB (limestone lettuce): The aristocrat of lettuces, with a small head of tender, soft, deep-green leaves with a delicious mild flavor. It is very crisp and must be carefully cleaned to remove all dirt
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LETTUCE BOSTON (butterhead lettuce): A small, soft head of loosely packed, tender loaves of outer green and inner yellow color that have a buttery feel and subtle, sweet flavor. It is very fragile
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LETTUCE BRONZE OR RED: A garden lettuce, similar in texture and taste to leaf lettuce but with a reddish tint to the green leaves
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LETTUCE ICEBERG (head lettuce): This most familiar and widely available lettuce has a firm, compact head with tightly packed, light-green leaves. It is crisp and keeps very well but is lacking in flavor. It can be torn, shredded, or cut into wedges. The hearts are particularly tasty
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LETTUCE LEAF (garden lettuce): Crisp-textured, curly-edged lettuce that grows in leafy bunches of pale- or dark-green colors. Some are red-tipped. It is grown commercially and in home gardens. The leaves are fragile and do not keep well. Because it wilts easily, the lettuce should not be over tossed in mixed salads. The leaves are also commonly used as beds or under garnishes for some salads
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LETTUCE OAKLEAF: A popular home garden lettuce that derives its name from deeply notched green or bronze leaves resembling those of oak trees. They have a desirable, delicate flavor
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LIQUID SMOKE: Find in the condiment section of the supermarket
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LITCHI (lychee): Small, oval fruit with rough red skin, white pulp and large pit. Sold fresh in July in Chinese specialty stores; or in 1-pound cans or dried in 10-ounce packets in Chinese stores and gourmet shops. After opening, refrigerate the canned variety in its own syrup in a tightly covered jar. No substitute
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LOMI LOMI SALMON: Shredded salt salmon, tomatoes and green onions chopped
fine, covered with crushed ice and served in small dishes.
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LOP CHONG: Chinese sweet pork sausage. Find in any Oriental market
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LOQUAT: Small, yellow-orange pitted fruit the size of an apricot with peach flavor. Sold pitted and preserved in 14-ounce cans in Chinese specialty stores. After opening, store in own syrup in a covered jar in the refrigerator. Substitute canned apricots or peaches
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LOTUS LEAVES, DRIED: Very large leaves that, after reconstituting, can be used as wrappers in Asian cuisine. You may have to fold each in half to get it down to a workable size
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LOTUS ROOT: Long, potato like root. Sold fresh in sections about 2 to 3 inches in diameter and 4 to 6 inches long, canned in various sizes, and dried in 4-ounce boxes in Chinese specialty stores. Each has a different texture and flavor, and they cannot be used interchangeably. Store the fresh or canned roots in the refrigerator. No substitute
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LOVAGE: The fragrant, dried seeds of the lovage plant resemble caraway seeds in appearance but have a sweet, pleasant, celerylike taste. They may be used in any way that celery seeds are used, but only half as much lovage as celery. The seeds are good flavorings for fruit salads.
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LUMPIA: Although these wrappers are a little larger, you can substitute them for egg roll wrappers. Find frozen in Filipino and Asian markets
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