serves 4
Try the cool crunchy bite of this colorful cucumber salad with Brined and Fried Chicken (page 170) for a tasty complement of flavors and textures.
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 English cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced into half-moons
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Seeding Cucumbers Regular cucumbers and even some so-called seedless ones can have a watery, fibrous inside. To remove the seeds, slice the cuke lengthwise in half. Using the tip of a teaspoon, channel out the seeds by scraping from top to bottom.
serves 4 to 6
I like to serve this refreshing salad, with its salty crunch of celery, fennel, and radishes along with orange’s gentle sweet acidity, to complement main dishes of Spanish, Greek, or Italian origin. The green, red, and orange colors are a vibrant sight on the plate. This salad can be made several hours ahead of serving—cover and store in the refrigerator until mealtime.
1 orange, peeled and suprêmed (see Note), with about ¼ cup juice
¼ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise
4 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced on the bias
1 bunch radishes (about 5), thinly sliced
To suprême citrus, cut off the very top and bottom of the fruit. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, peel off the skin and pith. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut between the flesh and membrane of each section on both sides to remove clean, naked pieces of citrus. When complete, squeeze the membranes to release any remaining juice.
Smoky Green Crunch
serves 2 to 4
“Grilled salad” may seem like an oxymoron, but the charred flavor that a couple of minutes of grilling on a hot grill or grill pan imparts to the lettuce is anything but. I simplify the salad by drizzling the classic Caesar dressing ingredients separately over the greens at the end. Those who are squeamish about anchovies can avoid them.
2 heads romaine lettuce, trimmed and halved lengthwise
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ounces shaved Parmesan (see Note)
2 anchovy fillets, halved (optional)
To shave cheese, use a potato peeler, gliding it over a chunk of Parmesan.
Not-Bottled Bottled Salad Dressing
makes 2 cups
This homemade version is a fresh take on the bottled Italian dressing—and it will get your kids to eat their raw vegetables. The egg yolk adds creamy texture. It can be stored in the refrigerator in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to a week.
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
1¼ cups safflower oil or mild extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped Vidalia or other onion
Steakhouse Starter Redux
serves 2
This is a wonderful “grown-up” version of your classic, run-of-the-mill, bottled-blue-cheese-dressing iceberg wedge salad.
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
3 Belgian endives, cut lengthwise into quarters, leaving the core end intact
2 ounces creamy blue cheese
¼ cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Happy Accident
serves 6 to 8
I’ve never met a salad lover who doesn’t love a good Cobb—especially my female friends who live on salads. It’s funny how this one salad can go high or low, depending on whether you’re in a Denny’s or an upscale American bistro and using food-service ingredients or “farm-sourced” ones. But this recipe is ideal for personalizing when making it at home. A meal in itself, it features a different ingredient for everyone, including our favorite, bacon—a guy magnet if there ever was one.
1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and chopped
1 head butter lettuce, cored and chopped
Two 8-ounce chicken breasts, poached (see Note) or grilled, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped
4 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pedigree This salad hails from an old-time Los Angeles restaurant, The Brown Derby. Supposedly one night in the 1930s, its owner, Mr. Cobb, and a friend, hankering after a late-night snack, tinkered around in the kitchen with some leftovers. When the friend returned the next day, he requested the same dish—and the Cobb salad was born.
To poach chicken for salads, soups, and tacos, put 2 chicken breasts in a small saucepan, cover with chicken broth or water by 2 inches, and add one or more aromatics such as onion, garlic, carrot, celery, black peppercorns, and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should register 160°F). Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid (if you used chicken broth, strain it and reserve for another use) and let rest until cool. Slice or shred the chicken to use immediately, or store whole in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag for up to 2 days.
Feast for the Eyes
serves 4 to 6
I’m crazy about this salad, created by my son Miles. Having worked in a restaurant kitchen, he effort-lessly applies professional cooking techniques to any dish he makes. Here the beets and carrots are cooked separately and slightly differently, to accentuate their flavors. The sweetness of the carrots is enhanced by cooking them with sugar; vinegar tempers the beets with its acidic tang. The radishes bring a crunchy pungency. Chilling the cooked vegetables before assembling enhances the differ-ences. The peppery watercress complements everything. Finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, the salad has a wonderfully balanced mix of sweet, salty, and acidic.
4 medium beets
½ cup sherry vinegar
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon safflower oil
4 small carrots, peeled and cut ¼ inch thick on the bias
2 tablespoons sugar
1 bunch watercress, washed and dried, thick stems removed
3 radishes, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
serves 4 to 6
Greek Salad with Fried Leeks and Spinach Phyllo Pie (page 87)
Many iterations of this salad exist, from the basic Greek-diner type to more upscale versions. I love its simplicity and the juxtaposition of the vegetables, cheese, olives, and stuffed grape leaves. The addition of fried shredded leeks had me returning weekly to my neighborhood restaurant where I discovered the idea. I serve it with Spinach Phyllo Pie (page 87) for a satisfying vegetarian meal.
1½ cups safflower oil
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, washed well, cut into 3-inch-long julienne (see Note, page 83)
One 15½-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced ⅓ inch thick
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 romaine heart, trimmed and sliced ½ inch thick
6 ounces store-bought stuffed grape leaves, quartered crosswise
4 ounces Greek feta cheese, crumbled
Man Made
serves 2
One night, when I got home from work, there was “nothing in the house to eat” (a common complaint from my children). My husband pulled a burger from the freezer and the last vegetable and a few lonely scallions from the crisper, and made the most satisfying and delicious warm salad.
Wow, a burger in a salad? Hells yeah! Now I purposely shop for the ingredients for this dinner.
6 ounces ground beef
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dash of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1 small head broccoli, separated into large florets, stalk peeled and thinly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Hot sauce, such as Sriracha
This salad can, literally, be pulled from the freezer. If you buy ground beef, form it into patties, wrap individually, and stick in the freezer, you’re always ready for a burger—or burger salad! (I’ve even pulled out a couple of patties to crumble and cook with tomato sauce for a desperation pasta meal.) And, believe it or not, frozen broccoli florets are perfectly acceptable in a pinch. Broccoli is one of the few vegetables—along with corn, and spinach, and peas—that I keep stocked for emergencies.
serves 5
“Sauseege and pippeez” is our street fair favorite. The scent wafting from the vendor carts conjures up memories of my grandmother’s Italian kitchen. Updated for a new generation, here the sausages and vegetables are perched atop lettuce and licoricey fennel rather than tucked into fat, doughy rolls. Ciabatta bread is sliced and toasted for a crispy crouton-like contrast to the salad.
2 hot Italian sausages, removed from casings
4 sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips
1 large shallot or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
5 slices ciabatta or rustic white Italian bread
1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Deglazing is a technique where a liquid (such as broth, wine, or vinegar) is used to dislodge the yummy caramelized bits that adhere to the bottom of a pan during cooking. Add the liquid when the heat is high. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the flavor nuggets off the bottom of the pan and stir into the liquid as it reduces and concentrates in flavor.
serves 6 to 8
Corn Salad and Escarole and Date Salad with Parmesan (page 112)
This has always been a staple in my mother’s house during the summer, when corn is sweet and tomatoes are at their peak. Vary the herbs and acid to your taste, subbing in cilantro, mint, or dill and lemon juice, orange juice, or rice wine vinegar.
6 ears corn
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Corn milk is the liquid released from the raw kernels when they are cut off the cob. Once the kernels are removed, some milk still remains on the cob. Don’t waste it, since it contains a sweet corny essence that intensifies the flavor of this salad.
Stripping corn from the cob can be awkward. I see folks slicing down between kernels and cob inside a bowl to catch all the flying kernels, but I find it difficult to get a good grip on the corn unless the cob is on a flat surface. And a 10-inch cob can be hard to hold and slice while using a sharp knife. So, after I shuck the corn and remove all the silk, I break the cobs in half so each piece is about 4 or 5 inches long. These are much easier to hold upright on a counter or cutting board and shave. Bring on the flying kernels.
serves 6
Adding an unexpected ingredient like dates can give a favorite salad recipe a whole new flavor dimension. Bitter escarole and radicchio, salty Parmesan, and sweet, chewy dates combine in a contrasting taste explosion. Use half a head of escarole for this salad and store the rest in a resealable bag in the fridge for later use.
½ head escarole, trimmed, sliced lengthwise in half, and thinly sliced crosswise
1 head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
⅓ cup thinly sliced pitted dates
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup grated Parmesan, plus shavings for optional garnish
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Dessert Too
serves 4
I love the cool, sweet contrast of fruit to cream in this retro 1950s fruit salad, but not the typical commercial recipe ingredients—fake-cream Cool Whip and marshmallows. So I’ve modernized and cleaned it up it with honey-sweetened yogurt and the addition of kiwis.
3 mandarin oranges, peeled, sectioned, and sections cut crosswise in half, or 1 cup canned mandarin oranges (see below)
½ pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into ¾-inch chunks (2 cups)
3 kiwis, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced crosswise (1 cup)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, plus some for garnish
1 cup Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract