Eat Well: Green Greens and Greens

The following post was written by my mom, WWW. Thanks, mom!

When I was growing up, most green salads were made from two types of lettuce: iceberg or romaine. Dinner salads consisted of lettuce or perhaps spinach and some tomatoes, radishes, onions, and cucumbers, probably a few croutons on top and Italian dressing (from a dry package mix). Or, for special occasions, a Caesar salad. Then came Alice Waters and the food revolution. Slowly grocery stores started stocking more exotic fare. Now, farmer’s markets and grocery stores are bursting with arugula, mizuna, frisée, escarole, mustard greens, endive, tatsoi, cress, just to name a few. Often these greens are found bagged in a “mesclun” mix for convenience (the word mesclun comes from the French word mesla, to mix). These mixes are expensive and now that I belong to a CSA as well as have my own garden and frequent farmer’s markets, I am able to make a green salad with 4 or 5 different greens very inexpensively and conveniently.

In my opinion, the two most important elements of a great salad are fresh ingredients and homemade salad dressing. It is so easy to make your own vinaigrette and it’s so much tastier, not to mention better for you. The classic ratio is 1:3, vinegar to oil. I use a good quality olive oil, although you can use any oil. For vinegar I use red wine, apple cider, or a good quality balsamic, depending on the type of salad. A pinch or two of salt added to the vinegar mellows out the acidity and is imperative to a good vinaigrette. You can add garlic or shallots and different herbs to create more interesting flavors. These days, there are so many flavored oils and vinegars that you can really have fun experimenting. Add some garlic or shallots and some fresh herbs, and you elevate your salad even more. Other variations come from replacing your vinegar with lemon or adding a little Dijon mustard. I even add Braggs amino acids to my vinaigrette for an Asian twist.

Basic Vinaigrette

2 T vinegar or lemon juice or a combination of the two

Salt and pepper

6 T oil

Optional: 1-2 cloves crushed garlic (or 1 teaspoon crushed shallots)

1. If desired, crush garlic or shallots in a small bowl

2. Add vinegar to the garlic

3. whisk in a pinch of salt

4. Taste. Add more if needed.

5. Whisk in the oil until emulsified or add all ingredients in a covered container and shake vigorously.

6. Add pepper and finely chopped herbs if desired.

(Serves 4)

Variations:

· Add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard or Braggs Amino Acids to the vinegar.

· Puree a clove or garlic or ½ a shallot and add to vinegar

· Add a seasoned herby salt instead of plain salt

· For a creamy dressing, substitute heavy cream, creme fraiche, or yoghurt for some of the oil

· My favorite fresh herbs in salad are dill, cilantro, basil, and tarragon

My favorite combination for a green salad is lettuce (I like leaf lettuce), arugula, mizuna, and mustard greens. (I’m not a big fan of spinach salad as it makes my teeth feel funny!) With such wonderful variety of greens for the base, it is easy to throw together a delicious salad. Add some toasted seeds and nuts (either plain or caramelized), some sliced strawberries or orange slices (or dried cranberries), and some crumbled goat or feta cheese then top with a good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you have the perfect accompaniment to any dinner.

You can either toss your salad in a bowl (greens and heavy items separately as not to crush your lettuce), or lay the greens on each individual plate, adding the heavier items and vinaigrette on top:

Seen here for beets and blood oranges

I think the biggest mistake people make with green salads is putting the wrong ingredients together. I love fruits in salads. The best ones to use are any citrus, pears, apples, strawberries, figs, and pomegranates. In order for a salad to taste good, each ingredient needs to go together. For instance, you wouldn’t want to put strawberries with hearts of palms or artichokes. Yuck!

If you use fruit, don’t put tomatoes in your salad. The flavors don’t mix well. Put your tomatoes together with the more savory additions. For instance, tomatoes go great with hearts of palms or artichokes. Yum!

I love putting nuts or seed on salads, especially since I don’t eat meat. Good choices are walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts or sunflower seeds. You can toast these nuts briefly in a pan over a medium high flame but they are great plain, as well.

Here are some good combinations for salad (for all of these, I arrange the heavier ingredients on top of the lettuce)

1. Arugula, pear or grapefruit, and avocado with Parmesan curls or Gorgonzola cheese with a lemon vinaigrette.

2. Mixed greens of your choice, sliced roasted beets (see below), dill, thinly sliced red onion with goat cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.

Bake beets in aluminum foil. Leave a few inches of stems so they don't bleed.

Peel skin off beets, slice and voila! Salad oomph!

3. Mixed greens (arugula, mizuna, and spinach) with sliced strawberries, feta, toasted sunflower seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette.

4. Mixed greens with toasted caramelized slivered almonds, mandarin oranges, sliced red onion and rice vinegar vinaigrette (use canola oil and add a little sugar for this one).

5. Mixed greens with vine ripened tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red pepper, cucumber, and feta. Use red wine vinegar mixed with oregano for this Greek variation.

7. Mixed greens with artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, tomatoes, and a garlic-thyme vinaigrette (toasted pine nuts are good on this one).

Next week, chopped salads as center stage!

Love,

WWW