Salad love
Anything-goes creative approach will win your heart
An anything-goes, creative approach will win your heart.
If the thought of just a salad for dinner leaves you less than enthusiastic, we understand. It doesn't have to be that way. Don't be stucks on the idea of salad as a pile of staid leafy greens with dressing. Think about great greens, but also consider grains, beans lentils and roasted vegetables for a base. Get creative with textures. Consider adding combinations of fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds and cheese. Proteins can run the gamut from steak and eggs to chicken, chickens, even tofu. Nothing is really off-limits
“When you say ‘salad,’ people think leafy greens that may or may not have something added,” said Ilene Rosen, author of “Saladish: A Crunchier, Grainier, Herbier, Heartier, Tastier Way with Vegetables” (Artisan, 2018, $24.95). “It doesn’t suggest the range of what it could be. I use “saladish” because I like that it broadens the definition without giving you a new definition.”
Rosen built a reputation during 15 years of creating memorable salads at City Bakery in New York before opening specialty food retailer R&D Foods in Brooklyn. She encourages people to think broadly about salads. They’re fairly flexible and can be made to accommodate most tastes and dietary restrictions. Get over any fear of doing it “wrong,” she advises.
“What was hardest for me was to put salads (recipes) into steps with specific quantities,” she said. “In so many cases, it says 1 1⁄2 cups, but 2 cups could work. It says dill, but parsley would be fine. It was hard to say ‘Here is what this recipe is’ because this is not baking. This is about your taste, your preference, your intuition and what you have on hand.
“Hopefully, the word “ish” gives the feeling this is not anything to stress over. If you want to make Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, yes, follow the recipe. But salad should be more freeing.”
Of course, there are a few things that make for more successful salads. Fresh herbs are a must, she says. Nuts and seeds add texture. Cheese can add saltiness or creaminess and flavor, depending on the direction you go. Roasted vegetables can provide a good base, while pickled vegetables add an entirely different punch.
Some salads are meant to serve right away, while others keep well. It pays to know the difference. Grain and bean salads typically hold up better for the second day, while leafy greens can get soggy and are typically best served right after dressing.
“Anything leafy, you’re going to dress it once and serve it,” said Rosen. She offered more tips for getting the most from your salad preparation.
“Say you’re experimenting with roasted carrots or vegetables and a lemon vinaigrette and you add some carrot tops or mustard greens to it. The next day, the carrots are going to be just as good, maybe better. The greens are probably going to look like hell. You can take the greens and herbs out. Then add some salt and a little more dressing, add a fresh round of herbs and it is all good as new.”
Dressings can make all the difference, she said, and making them at home can be simpler than reading most ingredient labels. If you have balsamic vinegar, lemon or cider vinegar and some olive oil, you can make a dressing.
Rosen’s basic dressing is a proportion of one part acid to three parts oil.
“Take those ingredients, plus salt and pepper or herbs, put them in a jar and shake. You can do that,” she said, noting she often adjusts and tweaks dressings with what she has on hand, and she isn’t strident about exact measurements. Any leftover vinaigrette can also work as a dip or marinade.
If you’ve made your salad and it still feels like it is missing something, don’t fret. Rosen suggests adding just a bit of sliced or diced red onion, and that should do the trick.
Here are a few options to take your salad beyond basic. Most can be tweaked to be eaten any time of year, and you should feel free to make adjustments according to your own taste. After years of cooking for others and making memorable salads, chef Ilene Rosen started using the word “salad-ish” to define her approach. It’s also the name of her new cookbook, “Saladish: A Crunchier, Grainier, Herbier, Heartier, Tastier Way with Vegetables.”
Here she combines lentils with bulgur to make “a nourishing salad with plenty of herbs and crisp vegetables.” She always makes a large batch, because it is going to taste at least as good the next day.