All the world seems to love a salad. I count myself one of its foremost amateurs. Not all of us, however, mean the same thing by “salad.” In this country, when we think of salad, the thing that we usually have in mind is a concoction of leafy greens. A little reflection reminds us of potato salad, tomato salad, chicken salad, tuna fish salad, and big main-course salads such as chef’s salad and Cobb salad. The world has an even broader frame of reference, including many things that we would consider salsas, dips, and first courses, among which are the Mexican guacamole, Romanian and Middle Eastern baba ghanoush, Asian noodle salads, and French green bean salads. Each region makes salads from readily available ingredients with regional seasonings. I think salads are so popular because they give a solid punch of flavor in a small package and are generally rather inexpensive.
We tend to connect salads with warm or hot weather because they are served at room temperature. There are some salads such as spinach salad made with warm bacon grease that are somewhat hotter, but not really hot.
Actually the lettuce salads are best in the spring, before the lettuce bolts and/or gets tough. There will often be a second good season in the fall. In the heat of summer, it is best to stick to the chicories—endive and the like—watercress, herbs, and other robust greens as well as cucumbers and tomatoes.
With so many salads to choose from, I really had to search my brain for what I think might be some representative ones. There are, of course, no “authentic” recipes as each cook plays his or her own riffs, and even the style may vary from village to village. My recipes come from my experiences in restaurants around the world and from reading many wonderful books about all of the world’s cuisines. Also, I like to play and in some cases have taken liberties with tradition to turn what may seem to American eaters more like dips than salads to make them more substantial.
My hope is to give some good recipes and to free the imagination for cooks to create their own salads.
I remember the days when French friends would come to New York or California and were shocked to have salad served as a first course. Only a few years later, they themselves were serving fancy salades gastronomiques as first courses—although they’re still not using them as sides.
As simple as it gets, this is a classic.
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 pounds haricots verts (slender green beans), tipped and tailed (about 12½ cups)
1½ pounds ripe tomatoes, thoroughly cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
½ cup thinly and diagonally sliced white part of scallions
½ cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup coarsely chopped dill fronds
½ lemon (optional)
Bring 3 quarts water plus ¼ cup of the salt to a rolling boil. Stir in the green beans. As soon as the water returns to a boil, boil for 5 minutes. As the beans boil, prepare a very cold ice water bath in a large bowl. Drain the beans and plunge into the ice water.
While the beans are chilling, combine the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons salt and the scallions. Toss and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Add the olive oil and a substantial amount of pepper.
Drain the beans. Thoroughly toss with the tomato mixture. Allow to sit until ready to serve. Toss in the dill and lemon, if desired.
MAKES 8 CUPS
This is a fantastic salad for entertaining. It’s a more elegant and interesting salad than most people are used to, and there’s plenty for when people want seconds.
SALAD
6 bunches watercress (about 12 cups sprigs)
2 large heads romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces (about 8 cups)
3 fennel bulbs, stalks and hard center removed, thinly sliced across (about 6 cups)
DRESSING
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons Pernod
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Wash the greens well, then dry them. (If preparing ahead, refrigerate in a large plastic bag, undried.) Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Just before serving, place the dry greens in one or two large salad bowls. Divide the dressing evenly between the bowls. Toss well to combine.
MAKES 20 SERVINGS
This is a taste of the French Caribbean islands without ever leaving home. The grated green papaya marinated in a peppery vinaigrette is a wonderful accompaniment to shrimp in the shell or even a whole fish.
Following are Okra with Basil and Hearts of Palm Salad. Some of each of these three salads make a terrific first course.
1 green papaya
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Basic Vinaigrette (page 195)
12 drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Peel the papaya and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Using a hand grater or the grating disc of a food processor, grate each half into thin strips and place in a bowl containing the lemon juice. Toss with the juice to prevent discoloring. Add the vinaigrette and season with the Tabasco and black pepper. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS
A salad that captures the ambiance of the azure French Caribbean waters and showcases the familiar pod as a semicrisp and brilliantly green vegetable rather than the typical breaded and fried versions that are favored in the American South. Combined with Green Papaya Salad (preceding recipe), it’s a good first course, as well as on its own with fish.
½ pound fresh okra, as small as possible
3 tablespoons Basic Vinaigrette (page 195)
1 tablespoon loosely packed basil leaves
Bring 2 quarts of heavily salted water to a boil. Blanch the okra for exactly 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water for 5 minutes. Drain. Toss the okra, vinaigrette, and basil together. Let marinate for 30 minutes before serving. This salad may be made up to 4 hours ahead of time.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
This salad of shredded hearts of palm mixed with white wine, a little salt, and the green counterpoint of scallion tops makes an elegant meal when served with the meat of marinated grilled lobster.
½ pound trimmed fresh hearts of palm, or 1 can, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallion greens
Shred the hearts of palm by cutting them lengthwise into very thin strips. Toss with the white wine and scallion greens. Marinate for 30 minutes before serving.
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
My gluten intolerance has introduced me to a new love, the highly nutritious quinoa—same nutrition profile as milk, which is great since I’m also lactose intolerant. It’s quick and easy to make now that it is sold prewashed. I cook it and keep it on hand in the refrigerator to add to soups and to go with stews and whatever else I might want.
Today, I was hungry at lunchtime but didn’t fancy anything heavy. The ready-made quinoa tossed with just a few fresh ingredients resulted in a vibrant salad that’s nutritious, lean, vegan, and delicious. Try it sometime.
2 cups cooked quinoa (see page 168)
¼ pound roasted red peppers with garlic (homemade, page 26, or jarred), cut into ½-inch squares
1 small tomato (about 3 ounces), cored and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 packed tablespoon chopped mint leaves
Mound the quinoa in the center of a plate. Arrange the roasted peppers on top. Surround with tomato. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and the mint leaves.
SERVES 2 OR 3 AS LUNCH, 4 AS A FIRST COURSE
Some of the nicest innovations from my kitchen seem to be the result of happy accident. Once, after finishing recipes for an article on salad I was writing, I was left with a container of prickly pear cactus slices and an avocado. The refrigerator also yielded a green bell pepper. Needing a vegetable to go with dinner, I rounded up these ingredients and made what I found to be a beautiful and successful salad. The bright red of the pear cactus contrasted with the dark green crispness of the pepper strips, and the whole was mellowed and enriched by the avocado.
This dish for two good eaters is not for those with dental problems unless they are willing to spit. The pear cactuses have small seeds like those of blackberries. Eaters beware.
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, deribbed, and cut into thin strips
Juice of ½ lemon (Meyer is best)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
⅓ pound prepared prickly pear cactus (about 12 slices)
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into eighths lengthwise and then into ¼-inch chunks
Toss the pepper strips with the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste, and the olive oil. Add the cactus pear slices and toss briefly. Add the avocado pieces and toss just until mixed.
SERVES 2
Come hot summer days or even tired winter ones, a large salad is a happy solution.
There cannot be a salad that is more nutritious. I have served it as a first course and as a main on a summer’s day.
It is colorful with a variety of textures. Before being added to the lettuce and surrounded by the cucumbers, the salad keeps very well when covered and put in the refrigerator.
One 19-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (see page 224)
1 red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), seeded, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 cup)
2 radishes (1 ounce each), tipped, tailed, and cut across into thin slices (2 tablespoons)
½ bunch basil (1 ounce), cut across into ¼-inch strips (¼ cup)
2 cups cooked quinoa—red is the hardest to find, but nicest in this (see page 168)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
½ cup Basic Vinaigrette (page 195)
1 head Bibb lettuce (about 5 ounces), with small, bright green leaves
1 slim cucumber (4 to 5 ounces), cut across into ⅛-inch slices
Combine the chickpeas, bell pepper, radishes, basil, quinoa, lemon zest, and vinaigrette in a medium bowl until well coated. Lay pieces of lettuce out in a shallow bowl or salad bowl in an even layer. Place the chickpea mixture in the center in a generous pile. Arrange cucumber slices on top of the lettuce in a ring around the chickpea salad.
SERVES 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 6 AS A FIRST COURSE
This recipe counts on leftovers and staples, as much of my food does. I was hungry. I had some broccoli left from last night’s dinner, to which I added other ingredients, and I arranged them all on the plate in the order of the Italian flag—red, white, green. I put a line of mayonnaise down the center and sprinkled the whole with remnants of my five-spice powder left from a more complex dish.
It was light, simple, and delicious—also healthful.
¾ cup cool cooked broccoli tips or other green vegetable such as green beans
1 hard-boiled egg, peeled and cut into quarters
1 medium tomato, cut into 6 wedges
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (homemade, page 190, or store-bought)
1 teaspoon Barbara’s Five-Spice Powder (page 202)
Arrange the vegetables, egg, and tomato wedges separately on a plate. Spoon mayonnaise in a line over the eggs. Sprinkle all with the seasoning powder.
SERVES 1
This is Asian due to the ingredients, not to my expertise.
8 ounces thick rice noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
2 ounces ginger, peeled, sliced on the diagonal, and cut into fine strips
1 or 2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
One 4-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained, rinsed, and cut into slivers (about 1 cup)
One 4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and cut into slivers (about 1 cup)
¼ pound snow peas, strung and sliced lengthwise and then into thin strips
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into thin slices on the diagonal
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, stir in the rice noodles, and cook at a low boil for 10 minutes. Drain. There should be about 7 cups. In a large bowl, toss with the oil, vinegar, soy, ginger, and garlic. Allow to sit for at least an hour.
Shortly before serving, stir in the bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, cilantro, and scallions. Serve at room temperature or refrigerated.
MAKES 10 CUPS
This is an excellent lunch or part of a buffet.
2½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken breasts, halved
6 cups chicken stock (any of the homemade stocks, pages 203–4, or sterile-pack)
2 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil
2 tablespoons vindaloo curry powder
One 14-ounce can coconut milk (about 1½ cups)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups walnut pieces
½ pound seedless green grapes, halved lengthwise (about 1½ cups)
¼ pound red onions, finely diced (about 1 cup)
Juice of 2 lemons (about ¼ cup)
Put the chicken in a pan that will hold the breast pieces in a single layer. Cover with stock and bring to a boil. Add water if needed to barely cover the chicken. Return to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and drain. Reserve the stock and allow the chicken to cool slightly. Place the breast halves on a cutting surface and slice into thirds, parallel to the surface. Cut into ½-inch dice and put in a large bowl.
Warm the oil in a small saucepan. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and a cup of the reserved stock. (Keep the remaining stock for another use.) Bring to a boil, stirring. Turn off the heat.
Stir the cornstarch thoroughly with half of the liquid until smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the liquid remaining in the pan. Cook at a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add to the cut-up chicken, and then add the walnuts, grapes, and onions; combine. Allow to cool. Add the lemon juice. Serve at room temperature or cool.
MAKES ABOUT 11 CUPS