Mastering the salad is essential for any cook. Not only do they taste great but salads are also very good for you. You just need to know a few tricks, starting with how to make a dressing.
Oil and vinegar
Many people are afraid to make their own oil and vinegar dressing. Is it more oil or more vinegar? Relax, you just have to remember one thing: “Oil to coat, vinegar to taste.” Add enough oil to coat, toss, and add your spices (e.g., salt and pepper), toss again, add some vinegar, toss, taste, add more vinegar (if need be), toss again, taste again—and then live with it.
Generally, the ratio is 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. But because oils and vinegars are so different, it’s best to use the “coat and taste” method described above. Find a nice olive oil (usually extra virgin) and use red wine or balsamic vinegar. Balsamic has a sweeter taste (and now comes in white so it won’t colour your salad).
Honey twist
To jazz things up you can add honey or maple syrup. In this case, you also need to add some Dijon mustard to hold things together.
Lettuce
Your basic Italian salad has 2-3 types of lettuce. Try romaine, endive, arugula, radicchio, red or green leaf, and butter lettuce. You can also use kale and spinach.
Onion
Yellow onions are used in cooking—not for salads. White onions are mild and good in salads. Purple (a.k.a. red or Italian onions) are stronger and are also good in salads. Spanish onions, which look like large yellow onions, are sweeter and they too are good in salads. You can also use green onions.
Vegetables
Tomatoes, celery, and cucumber are popular. You can also use sliced carrot. But don’t add mushrooms or those little corn cobs (they don’t belong).
Cheese and olives
Olives are good in any colour but your cheese has to be white. Use a hard cheese like Asiago, Parmesan, or even cheddar. And you can use feta (if it’s coarsely crumbled).
Nuts and fruit
If you’re not putting olives, use nuts and fresh fruit. Cut up an orange, use red grapes, fresh berries are good, or try pomegranate seeds. For nuts, toast slivered or sliced almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or make candied pecans.
Beans
Except for chick peas (garbanzo beans), beans don’t really go in a lettuce salad. Beans go in a bean salad, which, of course, doesn’t have any lettuce.
P.S. For actual recipes, click here.