Chronic in the Kitchen: Salad days

by Jennifer Hess

(Editrix's note: This is #11 in a series of articles by Jennifer Hess on healthy cooking and eating. Questions? Suggestions? Contact Jennifer here.)

Summer is in full swing - the days are long and lazy, and when the mercury rises, the last thing a Babe wants to do is stand over a hot stove putting together some fussy meal. The markets are bursting with beautiful fresh produce right now, and a great way to take advantage of it is to toss those fruits and veggies into a salad. Salads are quick to assemble and incredibly versatile - they can stand alone as a hearty lunch or light supper, or play a supporting role, accompanying simply grilled chicken, meat or fish. Salads provide an abundance of vitamins and other nutrients, and they couldn’t be easier to prepare.

Well Dressed

A basic vinaigrette is like a little black dress - it’s simple, classic, and you can jazz it up in a number of ways. There are four main components: an oil, an acid, salt and pepper. When I dress a simple salad of mixed greens for two (using about 4 cups of greens), I prepare the dressing as follows:

Pour 4 tbsp. wine vinegar into the bottom of a large salad bowl, and add about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, plus several grindings of black pepper. Whisk or stir with a fork until the salt dissolves, then slowly add about 5 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, continuing to whisk or stir until combined.

Once you’ve mixed the vinaigrette, place your salad greens in the bowl and toss with the vinaigrette until the leaves are lightly coated. Divide among two plates, and top with additional pepper if desired.

Using these proportions, you can easily put together enough vinaigrette for one person or ten, and you can change or enhance the basic recipe by adding or substituting the following:

substitute fresh lemon juice for the wine vinegar, and add 2 tbsp. of pine nuts; top with shaved pecorino cheese
substitute Sherry vinegar for the wine vinegar, and combine with 1 tbsp. finely chopped shallot
substitute fresh lime juice for the wine vinegar, and whisk in 1 tsp. of chile powder when you add the salt and pepper
reduce wine vinegar to 3 tbsp. and add 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
add 1 tbsp. of chopped fresh herbs - choose one or use a mixture of thyme, basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, marjoram or sage
for a sweeter vinaigrette, add 1 tbsp. honey
use walnut, avocado, grapeseed, or a flavor-infused oil in place of all or part of the extra-virgin olive oil

Instead of mixing the vinaigrette right in my salad bowl, I sometimes use a lidded glass jar. Add the ingredients as above, seal the jar and give it a good shake to combine the ingredients. This is a great way to prepare your vinaigrette if you are not going to be serving the salad right away - say, if you’re taking it to a picnic or barbecue.

You always want to dress salad right before serving so the greens stay fresh and bright and don’t start to wilt (acids like citrus juice and vinegar break down the cellular structure of greens and other veggies, which will make them soft and mushy over time; the less time they sit in the dressing, the better).

Beyond the Basics

A big, colorful bowl of mixed greens and chopped vegetables in a light, fresh vinaigrette is a great foundation, but with a few additions, you can take your salads to the next level, creating tasty side salads or hearty main-dish salads. Here are a few of my favorites:

Top a big bowl of dressed mixed greens with slices of grilled chicken breast, red grapes, chunks of tart apple, walnut halves, and crumbled blue cheese.

Make a Salade Nicoise, with mixed greens, grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, sliced red onion, tender young green beans, black olives, chopped hard boiled egg, and grilled or canned tuna. Dress with mustard vinaigrette.

Instead of pasta salad, try enhancing a whole grain like barley or farro with the flavors of summer. Combine two cups of cooked and cooled barley or farro with one cup of sweet corn, one large chopped ripe tomato, and 1/2 cup sliced scallions. Dress with 1/2 cup of lemon vinaigrette and a handful of torn fresh basil leaves.

Use fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley as a base for a Mediterranean-inspired salad, tossing one can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, with 3 cups of parsley leaves, one carrot (grated), 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato, and 1/2 cup red wine vinaigrette. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

Toss 4 cups of young spinach or arugula leaves with lemon vinaigrette and a can of cannellini beans (drained and rinsed). Top with grilled shrimp and halved cherry tomatoes.

Whether they’re the star of the show or a supporting player, it’s easy to make your salads shine. Fresh ingredients at the peak of their flavor need just a light dressing to bring out the best in them, and as far as what ingredients you put together, you’re only limited by your imagination.

A salad is a great meal for the dog days of summer - keep that stove turned off, stay cool and put together a quick, easy treat for your eyes and your palate.

Posted: 7/28/2006 in The Kitchen

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Chronic in the Kitchen: Salad days

Well Dressed

Beyond the Basics