Our dinner modus operandi has changed quite a bit. Everybody used to eat the same thing, but now more times than not I cook separately for the grown ups. In most families the usual pattern is that the kids eat something simple while the grown ups eat more elaborate and difficult food. So call us counter-culture: the kids eat their rice with 2 or 3 stir fry dishes, while the grown ups pick on a salad. We both do not want to eat much at dinner anymore, so a salad is for us a good choice.
Enter the challenge: Make the ordinary salad into something the troops want to eat. It took me a little to get warmed up to the salad thing. Rabbit food was the term I used for salads. Also, salads are the afterthought in most restaurants; they make them hours in advance and serve them straight out of the cooler. Forget about tasting any ingredient, it's so cold, it is like eating ice cream.
To take the salad out of the rabbit food category, we need to get beyond the Caesar salad or the thoughtless house salad and treat them as an entree. So that means proper techniques: each ingredient roughly the same size, all ingredients at room temperature or warmer, dressing added at the last moment to prevent soggyness. Do not forget proper plating. Take a flat plate, pile the salad in a nice mountain and add the toppings over it. Food goes in your mouth, but you eat with your nose and your eyes.
I said this in an earlier post and I still stand by that: do not serve the dressing on the side. This means your eaters need to toss their own dressing, leaving some parts raw and some parts oversaturated. You don't want raw food, you want a nice balanced salad, Your dressing is the binding agents in your salad; it ties the whole thing together.
Finally: use your hands to toss the salad. Tongs or other tools bruise the lettuce leaves and that does not look appealing. Also your hands give you much more control over mixing all ingredients together to ensure proper coating.
I think I have a couple of winners assembled. I will share them with you:
Insalata Milanese
A classic italian salad: Onions, pear and spinach with a pear vinaigrette topped with gorgonzola and toasted walnuts or almonds.
Blend a pear with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, dried oregano, fresh parsly and olive oil. Strain the vinaigrette to get rid off the pear seeds and hard parts.
Sliver white onions and a pear. Toss with a little vinaigrette. Add baby spinach leaves to the bowl and toss with more dressing. Plate with crumbled gorgonzola and toasted walnuts.
Currently ranked number 1 on our household.
Avocado and fish with citrus dressing
For the fish I use either talapia or flounder, but any white fish does well. I slice the fish thin, and marinade in a little lime juice, olive oil, onions and garlic. Stir fry over high heat until the fish is seared and done.
For the dressing use lime zest, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Combine and season well. Should be citrusy and tangy.
Toss spring mix with this dressing. Plate with slices of ripe avocado and top with the warm fish... Money in the bank...
Spring mix and orange salad
Orange zest, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey (optional and according to taste), olive oil and salt and pepper. That's the dressing.
Toss spring mix with this dressing and plate with orange parts and crumbled blue cheese or almond slivers.
Fresh, brightness of the oranges, and the richness of balsamic vinegar dressing. Every day is like spring with this salad..
Honey , it's chicken, salad
When I grill chicken breast, we usually have some leftovers. Perfect for this salad. Slice the chicken nice and thin.
Make a honey mustard dressing: honey, mustard, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil. Season and emulsify. It should be thick like a sauce, and not sweet and not sour and not mustardy. It takes a couple tries to get the exact balance, but then you're off to the races.
Toss spring mix (frisee or lambs ear works well too)with the dressing, toss in some tomatoes for good measure and plate with the chicken. And, please give the chicken some of that dressing too.
Honey-mustard dressing is my favorite. Easy to make and always good.
As always, the moment it gets back to tasting like rabbit food, I'll try something new, but for now salads rule in our household.
Happy eating and keep the crunch going.
