Lettuce and cheese trumpets
I got my tonsils removed when I was four years old. They did that sort of thing then. Figured kids don't need them. Maybe they don't. I've never missed my tonsils. I had to spend a few days in hospital but I don't remember exactly how long. I do remember it wasn't such a big deal. I think I quite enjoyed it. I got ice-cream for my first meal after the operation and I had to eat dry toasted bread after that. My mum made quite a fuss when we were getting ready to go to the hospital. She promised that if I was good I could have any toy I wanted to keep me entertained while I was confined to bed. I asked for a trumpet. Not a real one, but one of the shiny, colourful plastic ones that makes a tuneless 'doo-doo-doo' noise when you blow into it. She said no. I couldn't understand why at the time but now I see her point.
These trumpets don't make any noise at all. The kind of lettuce you need for this is the green, loose-leaf type - not too curly. Icebergs won't work. Whether you use salt in the recipe will depend on the type of cheese you choose. I used feta, which is quite salty, so I didn't add any more. Some cream cheeses on the other hand are unsalted and the addition of a little salt might be in order. It's up to you.
Ingredients
1 lettuce
250g of cream cheese
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
A couple of large pinches each of dried rosemary, mint and thyme
Salt if required
Mix the cheese with the herbs and chopped garlic until they form a stiff paste. Separate the lettuce leaves and give them a good rinse. Put a blob of cream-cheese mix on a leaf, just to one side of the mid-rib, and then roll into a wee trumpet shape. This is easy and you'll get even better at it as you progress through the pile of leaves. Arrange the trumpets on a plate and serve. Lettuce trumpets make good picnic food. They can be packed and eaten with the minimum of mess.