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HISTORICALLY, salads have been the most disrespected of dishes. They’re an afterthought on the table, overshadowed by a grilled steak, a golden roast chicken, a big bowl of pasta. Even a platter of roasted vegetables outshines “rabbit food.”
Yet, salads have been marching up the culinary hierarchy ladder. They have provoked a war in the world of fast-casual food as such chains as Sweetgreen, Tender Greens, and Chopt expand around the United States of America. A change in the salad emoji can provoke internet hysteria. Even at McDonalds, salads now rank among the all-time top 10 sellers, ahead of the Double Cheeseburger, according to howstuffworks.
As people pay more attention to produce, and as high-priced oils and vinegars become the norm, showing respect to salad has become increasingly important.
Enter Gayle Pirie and John Clark, chefs and owners of San Francisco’s cult favorite restaurant, Foreign Cinema. Pirie and Clark are veterans of the kitchens at Chez Panisse and Zuni Café and are skilled at crafting extraordinary salads. In fact, their new cookbook The Foreign Cinema Cookbook: Recipes and Stories Under the Stars dedicates serious space to the subject. Here are Pirie’s tips for making a salad the best part of your meal this summer.
“No disrespect, but they can be too heavy, especially with small, delicate summer greens. All you really need is a favorite extra- virgin olive oil, your choice of fruity vinegar — such as red wine, aged sherry, or Champagne — kosher salt, and cracked black pepper. I like a 3: 1 ratio of oil to salt. Of course, there are extras that come in handy. The trick is how you toss it all together: Always lightly drizzle greens with the olive oil first; this protects them from getting overly wilted when they’re hit with the vinegar.”
“If you insist of having a dressing or vinaigrette, it certainly speeds up the salad-making process if you have a stash in the fridge. In fact, at parties, it’s nice to offer a couple different options. Be sure to taste a premade vinaigrette before serving — the best way is to dunk in a lettuce leaf — since vinegars and citrus juice have a tendency to dull over a couple of days. Always store your extra vinaigrette