arts & life

dining in

Summer Salads

Hot weather calls

for cool, crispy

greens.

H

ot. That's what it is. So
think cool. To me, that
means salads. And salads,
as a meal, should have a few things
going for them.
Fresh: You've heard it before; a
salad is only as good as its ingre-
dients. Since most salads are eaten
in a raw or nearly raw state, no
amount of dressing or other such
camouflage will disguise wilted
greens or mushy tomatoes.
Varied: It's amazingly easy to
add variety to a salad. I always have
ready in my pantry dried fruits
(mostly berries and raisins) and
nuts (including slivered almonds,
pine nuts, walnuts and pistachios).
In cans, I have beans (black, Great
Northern, garbanzo) and veg-
etables and fruits (beets, mandarin
oranges, pears). My fridge always
has some type of cheese: cheddar,
blue, Parmesan, feta; and in my
freezer are frozen corn and peas.
Hearty: Need to turn a light
salad into an entree? Protein is the
answer. Grilled, poached or broiled
fish, fowl or meat will instantly
make hearty a lighter salad. Grilled
chicken revolutionized Caesar
salad, taking it from side to main
with the addition of one simple
ingredient.
Dressed: Less is more when it
comes to dressing. When all else
fails, a drizzle of good-quality olive
oil and good-quality red-wine vin-
egar or balsamic vinegar is really
all a salad needs. Otherwise, find a
good vinaigrette recipe and tape it
to the inside of a kitchen cabinet so
you'll always have it handy. If you're
only comfortable with bottled
dressing, find one or two really
good ones and stock up.

BITTER GREENS
WITH POTATOES AND
ROASTED GARLIC
VINAIGRETTE
Salad:
2 large Idaho or russet pota-
toes, peeled and cut into'/4-inch
sticks
8 ounces Belgian endives, core
cut off and leaves divided
8 ounces French curly endive
(chickory), tough outer leaves

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August 6 • 2015

discarded and remaining leaves
torn into 2-inch pieces
8 ounces romaine lettuce, cut
or torn into 1-inch pieces

Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. minced roasted garlic
(see recipe below)
Y2 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
4 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
Y2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves or
1 tsp. dried tarragon

Bring a large shallow pot of water
to a boil. Add the potatoes and
bring to a boil again. Reduce heat
to medium and gently cook the
potatoes until just tender, about 20
minutes. Gently tip the pan over
the sink to remove as much water
as possible and, using a slotted
spatula, carefully transfer the pota-
toes to a shallow dish. Cover the
dish with plastic wrap and chill the
potatoes until cold.
While the potatoes are cooking,
combine all vinaigrette ingredients
in a small bowl and whisk well. Set
aside.
Just before serving, toss greens
with half the vinaigrette. Arrange
the greens on 8 salad plates. Gently
top the salad with the potato sticks
and drizzle with remaining vinai-
grette.
Makes 8 servings.

GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
Use this with the Bitter Greens
salad, above.
1 cup peeled garlic cloves
Y4 cup olive oil

Roast the garlic: Preheat oven to
400°F. Lay a 12-inch sheet of heavy-
duty foil (or two layers of regular
foil) on a flat surface. Place the gar-
lic in the center of the foil and pour
the olive oil over. Use your hands
to toss the garlic with the oil. Wrap
the garlic in the foil and place the
packet on a baking sheet.
Roast the garlic in the center of
the oven for 40 minutes. Remove
from oven and allow to cool to the
touch before opening. Chop the
garlic and use as desired. To keep
remaining garlic, place in a jar and

cover with extra-virgin olive oil
(the garlic should be covered com-
pletely with the oil). Store, chilled,
for later use.

WILD RICE, ENDIVE,
PEAS AND FETA SALAD
Salad:
4 heads Belgian endive,
washed, leaves separated (or 6
cups salad spinach)
2 cups cooked and drained
wild rice
1 pound blanched green beans,
cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup chopped scallions, white
and green parts
1 cup crumbled goat or feta
cheese
V4 cup minced fresh mint
leaves
Dressing
V4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Make salad: Arrange endive leaves
around a large platter or on 8 indi-
vidual salad plates, in a sunburst
pattern. (If using spinach, arrange
the spinach on the plates.) Place
remaining salad ingredients, except
goat cheese or feta, in a large bowl
and toss to combine. Set aside.
Make vinaigrette: Combine all
vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl
and whisk until smooth or pour
the ingredients into a jar and shake
well to combine.
Toss the wild rice mixture with
the vinaigrette and spoon the salad
on top of the endive leaves or atop
the spinach leaves. Garnish with a
generous sprinkling of the goat or
feta cheese.
Makes 6 servings.

KALE SALAD WITH
SWEET LIME DRESSING
Dressing
V4 cup olive oil
V4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce, such as

Tabasco
1 tsp. fresh ground black pep-
per
Y2 tsp. kosher salt

Salad:
12 cups shredded Tuscan kale
leaves (tough stems removed)
Y2 cup chickpeas
Y4 cup cilantro leaves
2 avocados, sliced into thin
wedges
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
cheese
Y2 cup toasted sliced almonds
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all dressing ingredients
in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and
shake well. Set aside.
Combine salad ingredients in a
large bowl and pour the dressing
over. Toss well, but gently, with
your hands (so as not to break the
avocados) and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.

REDSKIN POTATO AND
EGG SALAD WITH
DIJON VINAIGRETTE
3 pounds small red-skinned
potatoes, unpeeled, halved or
quartered if large
1 /4 cup red-wine vinegar
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 cup finely chopped red or
Bermuda onion
1 cup chopped hard-cooked
eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Y2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped dill
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil
over high heat. Add the potatoes
and cook until just tender — 12-15
minutes. Drain well but do not
rinse the potatoes. Transfer the
hot potatoes to a large bowl and
sprinkle the vinegar over and toss
the potatoes with 2 large spoons.
Allow the potatoes to cool (they do
not have to be cold) before adding
the remaining ingredients and toss-
ing well. Transfer to a serving bowl
or other bowl to transport, cover
with plastic wrap or tight-fitting lid
and chill until ready to serve.
Makes 8 servings.

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