Glen Arbor Sun

Salads are the ideal minute meal. With a little preparation you can be dining in under 20 minutes. Salads seem easy to toss together, but the best ones require some foresight. If you doubt me, think back to your experience of potluck salads. They are notorious for having a garage sale jumble of ingredients that look as if their makers simply tossed in whatever was in the refrigerator and pantry.

With too many competing flavors and textures, how can a taster discern any one personality or flavor? It would be as if you had put on every garment in your closet and headed to a gathering. Your friends would be confused: are you going to a wedding, snow-skiing or to work in the garden? Salads need the same kind of careful thought that you put into what you wear. Even a salad needs personality to be popular.

There is an elegance and art to making a memorable salad; combinations are everything and yes, less is more. Restrain yourself when you choose your salad ingredients: Indonesians blanket shreds of curly cabbage, cucumbers, fried tofu, cooked green beans and carrots with a spicy peanut sauce. Californians compose apples and walnuts over endive. Italians anoint arugula and toasted pine nuts with olive oil, salt and lemon. The French toss butter lettuce, bitter greens like chicory and escarole with mustard vinaigrette.

You don’t need a refrigerator door clanking with heavy, bottled dressings; sidestep them for homemade alternatives. Young French cooks learn to whisk together mustard vinaigrette at a tender age. Italians wisely use only extra virgin olive oil, either fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar and salt. Nothing else. First toss clean greens with extra virgin olive oil and salt until the leaves glisten then splash them with good vinegar or a refreshing squeeze of lemon.
Salads fall into two general categories: tossed or composed. Ingredients in tossed salads are tossed with a dressing. Ingredients for composed salads are arranged on platters or plates. Tossed salads have the advantage of even flavor: every bite of greens is coated with the dressing. Composed salads have the advantage of a composition that can be prepared ahead and wait for dressing.

For private salads, anything goes, but when you take a salad out into the public domain there are some simple rules that you might consider. They will make your salads appealing to everyone.

• Raw onions (scallions, too) and hunks of chopped raw garlic are out. You may however do as the Japanese and soften sliced or chopped raw onion by piling it into a strainer and pouring boiling water over it. You may also microwave the offending allium for a few seconds. You may rub the salad bowl with a smashed or sliced clove. Save the raw garlic for your salad dressing. I advise you to cook garlic or shallots lightly before using them in dressings or salads.
• Tear clean, dry greens into bite-sized pieces — they are easier to eat.
• Toss the salad with its intended dressing just before serving. This not only keeps your creative statement intact, but it also saves diners from having to struggle with the dressing (and possibly splashing themselves).
• Remove seeds and ribs from bell peppers. They are bitter. Red and roasted peppers are tastier than green or raw bell peppers.
• Peel cucumbers. The skins are usually waxed; if the cucumbers are garden-fresh, lightly peel them.
• Toast all nuts; it brings out their flavor.
• Wash your greens in cold water and spin them dry and layer them with paper toweling in ziplock bags then refrigerate.

Salads have the power to cleanse, rejuvenate, and cure even the darkest of afflictions. If your local grocer doesn’t provide enough of this wild, healing profusion visit Oryana and the Farmer’s Markets or join a C. S. A. like Meadowlark Farm or Sweeter Song Farm and stock up—or grow your own.

Impromptu salads

1. Think of combinations you've had that wowed you. Translate them to salads. Impromptu salads can be all vegetable or various ingredients tossed with greens. What about classics like tomatoes, mozzarella and basil? You could borrow your combos from what produce is seasonal and from other dishes you've eaten or prepared.

• Cooked wild rice, currants, and toasted almonds on greens with mustard vinaigrette
• Cooked shrimp, cucumbers, pickled sushi ginger, tossed with greens, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil
• Roasted chicken breast chunks with chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese over greens with toasted cumin vinaigrette
• Chickpeas and shredded carrots on baby spinach with a lemon-tahini dressing
• Sliced turkey tossed with avocado and greens and a salsa, olive oil and vinegar dressing
• Tuna, tomatoes and chickpeas on greens with a basil-mustard or basil-mayonnaise dressing
• Smoked salmon, corn, cucumbers and steamed diced redskin potatoes on greens with a dill vinaigrette
• Baby spinach topped with sliced pears, blue cheese, toasted walnuts and mustard vinaigrette

2. Look in your pantry and refrigerator. Haul out what looks appealing. Isn't always something surprising hiding in the back that makes the search worthwhile? Besides this is a good way to clean out the refrigerator.
3. Think ahead. Keep a stock of sliced turkey, canned beans, tuna, and bottled salsas. Make up vinaigrettes, seasoned oils, and flavored vinegars on a day when you have time.
4. Chain cook: Make extras when you do cook. Cut extra vegetables and cook double the amount of chicken breasts or shrimp for dinner. For the next few days make impromptu salads with your bounty.
5. Pick up pre-cleaned greens and vegetables. If you're anything like me, I eat a lot more salads if someone else cleans the greens. Another alternative that works: clean your greens as soon as they enter your kitchen. Store them layered in paper towels in a ziploc bag. They'll last a week or so. Don't cut them with a knife — this will promote browning. Tear them instead. I said tear — NOT twist and torture. Think of your greens as delicate tissue.
6. Keep it simple and think color. If you're really stumped for an appealing combination, choose only three items by color, like steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. Toss them with toasted pine nuts, golden raisins, olive oil and lemon.

Secrets of vibrant vinaigrettes

• Vinaigrettes consist of oil and acid or combination of acids. The classic proportions are 1 part acid to 3 or 4 parts oil.
• Vinaigrettes may contain seasonings and an emulsifier. An emulsifier holds the oil and acids in suspension. It may be mustard, egg, nut butters, ground nuts or spices, or a vegetable or fruit puree. Sauté aromatic vegetable seasonings like onions, shallots, or garlic briefly to help keep the vinaigrette better tasting for longer.
• Oils may be demonstrative (strong) or non-demonstrative (mild). Mix (and taste) them in proportions so that they balance each other: 2/3 part canola oil and 1/3 part sesame oil.
• Your acids may be citrus, fruit or vegetable juices, vinegars, yogurt, or wine. Match and layer them to deepen the flavor of your vinaigrette. Try the three acids trick: mix a citrus juice, a vinegar, and a little wine or alcohol together to form the acid component.
• To soften low-fat acidic vinaigrettes, add a little sweetening, chopped tomato or a vegetable puree, salt, or soy sauce.

Classic mustard vinaigrette
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar or acid combination
9 to 12 tablespoons oil (1/2 to 3/4 cup)

Set your bowl up so that it won't move. A damp paper or cloth towel wrapped around the bottom forms a solid base. Place Dijon mustard into a mixing bowl. Add acid/acids and whisk well to combine.

Measure out oil/oils into a container with a spout or lip. Slowly, drop by drop, whisk the oil into the acid-mustard mixture. If you go too fast, the vinaigrette will break—it won’t be able to break up the oil droplets and emulsify them quickly enough.

When the vinaigrette begins to visibly thicken and emulsify, increase the drops of oil to a thin stream. Taste the vinaigrette with a lettuce leaf before you add all the oil. Adjust the flavors of the vinaigrette with oil, acid, sweetener, salt and pepper, and herbs. If your vinaigrette breaks--place a little more mustard into a clean mixing bowl and slowly, drop by drop, whisk the broken vinaigrette into it.

SAVE YOUR ARM and make this in a food processor or blender.

This is my northern Michigan adaptation of the French Nicoise salad with tuna, green beans, tomatoes, and olives—all food found in or near Nice. It is a composed or arranged salad. American salads are those with protein, carbohydrate and vegetable—a full meal.

Michigander American salad
Four servings

Mustard Vinaigrette
1 large head hydroponic Bibb lettuce, whole leaves, clean and dry
1 cup drained and rinsed canned Great Northern white beans
8 small new redskin potatoes, steamed or boiled till tender
1 pound smoked whitefish, skinned, boned, and flaked
1 pound asparagus, steamed

Prepare the vinaigrette. Pour the mustard and vinegar into a blender. With the machine running, pour the oil in a slow, thin stream into the mustard and vinegar until thickened. Toss the white beans with some of the vinaigrette. Slice the potatoes while warm and toss them with some of the vinaigrette and set the remainder aside.

Arrange the Bibb leaves on a platter. Arrange the beans, whitefish, asparagus, and potatoes decoratively over them. Serve with the vinaigrette.

©2003Nancy K. Allen, CCP

This is called a simple salad because it is only salad greens dressed with oil, salt and vinegar. Bitter greens and olive oil stimulate the liver to help move a fatty meal.

Tri-colore Italian digestive salad
4 to 6 servings
1 small head radicchio
1 small head tender leaf lettuce
1 small bunch arugula, spinach or watercress
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Pull the leaves from the head of radicchio and leaf lettuce. Wash them under running cold water. Drain and salad spin them. To keep them, layer the leaves in a plastic zip lock with paper toweling. Wash, drain and spin the arugula, spinach or watercress.

When you are ready for the salad, tear the greens into bite-sized pieces. Toss them with olive oil to coat and a bit of Kosher salt. Sprinkle on the vinegar gently. Taste as you go. Grind with fresh black pepper and toss again. Serve the salad immediately.

©2001Nancy K. Allen, C.C.P

Raeeda's fetoush salad
Sumac dressing
1/4 cup each: olive oil and fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sumac powder, available at Middle Eastern stores
salt and pepper to taste--optional
2 cups thinly sliced red onions, rinsed in boiling water
3 cups lightly packed mint leaves or Romaine, washed, dried and torn
1 cup parsley leaves, washed and dried
2 medium tomatoes, wedged or coarsely chopped
1 pita, toasted and torn

Whisk all the ingredients of the dressing together and set aside. Prepare the salad ingredients. Toss the onions, mint or Romaine, parsley and tomatoes with the dressing. Top with bits of toasted pita. Pass a small bowl of sumac powder for each diner to sprinkle on his or her salad, if desired.

The sumac is slightly sour and somewhat fruity flavored. It makes a wonderful dressing for any summer vegetable salad. You could also toss this salad with chopped romaine.

Greek salad with shrimp
Assorted greens
Fresh tomatoes, quartered
Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Sliced radishes
Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Kalamata olives
Feta dressing or Red wine vinegar and olive oil
Salt and pepper

Proportions are not as important to this salad as the arrangement; use it to delight your eyes. Wash, dry and chop the greens. Arrange the greens on a large platter, which has been rubbed with a garlic clove. Cover the greens with rows of tomato, cucumber, radish and shrimp. Sprinkle with the scallions and olives. You may prepare the feta dressing or whisk 1 part red wine vinegar and 4 parts olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and serve.

Feta dressing
Makes 2 cups
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 mashed or minced clove of garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Blend the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Will keep at least one week refrigerated.

Parsley panzanella
1 pound day old Italian country style bread--about 4 thick slices, cubed
3 fresh ripe medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced--save tomato water and seeds
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/4 inch cubes--save cucumber seeds
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper, optional
2 cups packed fresh Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil--or more to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F. Toast the bread cubes until they are golden. This step is optional but I like the extra flavor it gives the salad. After you've finished preparing the tomatoes and cucumber, mix the tomato water and cucumber water, strained from seeding, in a large mixing bowl. Toss the cooled bread into this mixture and if there is any excess, squeeze it out gently. Discard the liquid.

Add the cucumber, tomato, optional pepper, parsley to the bread. Whisk together the dressing and toss it with the bread and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Set this aside for 30 minutes to marinate. Taste and adjust seasonings.

©2001Nancy K. Allen, CCP