THE ESSENCE OF A SALAD
What makes salads
memorable? A combination of varied ingredients with an intriguing note or two. They should
be pristine fresh, leaves crisp and have a superb dressing; piquant, creamy, classic
vinaigrette or dressed in the seemingly casual Italian style. Salads make stunning
starters, are superb nibbled with perfectly ripe Camembert or Brie and are the ideal dish
to serve as a light lunch or supper when combined with heartier ingredients.
Fresh salad leaves and vegetables,
because they are served raw, need to be handled with care. Be scrupulous about always
washing hands before starting to make the salad. Check that salad leaves are meticulously
washed. When you use pre-packed washed salad, some leaves become limp after a second
rinse, others manage to stand up well and continue shed grit. Once prepared, refrigerate
immediately, never leave salad standing at room temperature. Keep chilled until ready to
serve. Never dress in advance.
CHOICE INGREDIENTS
Buy a good quality cold-pressed,
extra-virgin olive oil, red, white wine, apple cider or balsamic vinegar and use
sparingly. A too sharp and harsh vinegar will ruin the dressing. As a general rule you
will need 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 olive oil. Crumbly sea salt, freshly milled black
pepper, English mustard powder and fresh garlic cloves.
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
A salad spinner with a solid base, a
colander, a spotless chopping board, a razor sharp knife, a serrated knife, a slender
vegetable peeler and a roll of paper toweling.
VITAL HINTS
Sprinkle a trace of sugar on your
salad leaves before covering lightly with wax paper and chilling. Among the many
dressings, two of the simplest and nicest are olive oil, a good wine vinegar and seasoning
these are drizzled over the salad seconds before serving, or you can try a more
sophisticated French vinaigrette. Serve the chilled salad on large plates never
small. These show off the beauty of a salad to far greater advantage.