Salad Leaves
What is a salad?
“Originally derived from the Latin sal for salt, meaning something dipped into salt. Now normally a dish of uncooked vegetables; either a mixed salad or just one item (commonly lettuce or tomato).”
“A dish of raw vegetables, such as lettuce, tomatoes, etc, served as a separate course with cold meat, eggs, etc, or as part of a main course. Any dish of cold vegetables or fruit. Potato salad.”
Wikipedia talks a bit about the etymology of the word salad:
In English, the word first appears as "salad" or "sallet" in the 14th century. Salt is associated with salad because vegetables were seasoned with brine (a solution of salt in water) or salty oil-and-vinegar dressings during Roman times.
I read about these original sallets – in wealthy homes they were the centre pieces of banquets and called ‘Grand Sallets’. They featured all sort of interesting ingredients. A large range of ingredients was a sign of wealth and the skill of your gardeners and cooks. The salads included lots of vegetables, flowers, leaves – some pickled some fresh – and were displayed in specially designed multi-layered dishes with lavish ‘cruets’ to hold oil and vinegar.
You can create your own Grand Sallet from your garden or the hedgerows if you know what to pick. Think about including unusual ingredients and lots of flowers to make you smile!
How to build an amazing salad
Despite the dictionary definitions (which sound a bit narrow to me) when it comes to salad almost anything goes! Cold or warm, including cooked and raw ingredients, add grains or pulses for something more substantial. Salad leaves make a great base – and you will be getting a salad bag each week in your box so this is a great starting point.
I make a lot of salads and I have a few suggestions to make them really sing…
i) Try to get a balance of flavours
(aim for at least three of the following)
Salty – cheese, salted nuts/seeds, olives, capers, smoked fish or ham (if not veggie),
Sweet – drizzle of honey, maple syrup, cordial in the dressing, jams or jellies in dressing, fruit (melon, raspberries, strawberries, apples, pears, dried fruit, figs citrus – also sharp), some veggies (roasted sweet potato, carrots, parsnips, beets etc.), caramelised onions
Sharp – citrus fruit, pickled things, some cheeses, buttermilk dressings, yoghurt
Peppery/spicy/bitter – the salad leaves, chilli flakes, garlic/alliums, ginger in the dressing
Herbal – Add herbs! Soft herbs are amazing in salads but you can also incorporate woody herbs when you roast vegetables
ii) Try to get a balance of textures
(aim for at least three of the following)
Soft/creamy – cheese, yoghurt, roasted veg, avocado, pulses
Crisp – salad leaves, radishes, cucumbers, some fruit, crispy potatoes, crispy kale
Crunchy – I think an essential final addition – toasted seeds, nuts, roasted lentils or pulses (such as chickpeas), cacao nibs, pomegranate seeds, croutons
How to make a kickass dressing
A dressing can be really simple but it needs to coat the ingredients, so some oil is generally important (unless you are making a more ‘pickled’ salad).
Don’t forget to season your dressing – it’s a great way to ensure every bite is really well seasoned.
Some suggestions…
Simple: Extra virgin olive oil + good balsamic vinegar
French: Extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, pinch of sugar, and maybe add chopped herbs and/or garlic (I use a ratio of 3 parts oil to one part vinegar)
Or play around and invent something new
Oil + something sharp + something sweet + extra flavour
I really like olive oil + lime juice + pomegranate molasses + garlic
For something creamy a Caesar salad dressing is delicious – this is my recipe. If you are veggie you can replace the anchovies with two teaspoons of tapenade or a teaspoon of capers, finely chopped
Caesar dressing
5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained (or more if you love anchovies)
1 large garlic clove
Sea salt
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Zest and juice 1/2 lemon, plus more juice to taste
150ml oil (I used 30ml olive oil and 120ml sunflower oil – if you just use olive oil the flavour will be very strong)
50g parmesan or another hard cheese – about 2/3 for the dressing and the final 1/3 to garnish the salad
Black pepper
Chop up the anchovies and garlic finely and then add a pinch of sea salt and smoosh it together with the tip of your knife to make a paste. Put this paste in a large-ish bowl. Add the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice and the mustard and mix well. Next add the oil very gradually, whisking the whole time. Start by adding it just drop by drop and then once you feel confident it is emulsifying then you can pour it in a thin stream. You can also do this is a food processor or a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) if you don’t want to do it with a hand whisk.
Stir in the Parmesan and season with black pepper. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if you fancy.