Lettuces with Thickened Gravy—Braised

Trim some lettuce heads by removing the green leaves from the stalks; pare these stalks to a point, wash the lettuces in several waters, changing it each time, and then blanch for ten minutes in a copper basin with boiling salted water; drain on a sieve, press each one separately to extract all the liquid, and fold them lengthwise in two, wrapping each one in a thin slice of fat pork tied on with a thin string. Range them in a sautoir, braise in a mirepoix stock (No. 419) and broth (No. 194a) half of each, and cover with buttered paper; let cook for one hour and a quarter on a slow fire or in the oven, being careful to baste occasionally during the operation. Drain the lettuces, dress them in a circle; strain the stock, remove its fat and reduce it well with a little espagnole sauce (No. 414); pour a third part of this over the lettuces and serve the remainder separately.