Stop Blogging and Cook

• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 t red wine vinegar
• Add 1/8 tsp of one of the following:
  • Dijon mustard
  • Plain yogurt
  • Mayonnaise
• Pinch of dried herbs:
  • Basil
  • Marjoram
  • Rosemary
  • Savory
  • Thyme leaves, not ground

VARIATION:  Substitute balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar.

INGREDIENTS – Salad, per serving

• Lettuce
• Carrot
• Fresh vegetables, whatever you like:
  • Few cilantro leaves
  • Cilantro
  • Cucumber
  • 1/2 Stalk of celery
  • Sweet red or yellow bell pepper
  • 1 Mushroom
  • 4 Grape tomatoes

PREPARATION

1. Put olive oil, red wine vinegar & spices in large salad bowl.  Add either mustard, yogurt or mayonnaise; blend with wire whisk.
2. Grate carrot in bowl.
3. Tear greens, adding to bowl.
4. Cut rest of vegetables & add to bowl.

S E R V E

Make only as much salad as you need for the meal at hand, dishing each serving and leaving none left over.  Leftover dressed salad isn’t good for much of anything, even to vegetarians.  Use vegetables that you like for maximum joy; expand your vegetable horizons as you become better acquainted with the produce kingdom.

Now here is the secret of a great salad; a little-known trifecta that separates the cooks from the rookies.  A well-dressed salad is the goal:  having the dressing cling to the greens rather than slide off into a lonely puddle of neglected flavor in the bottom of the bowl.  Because all of the dressing will make it into your mouth, you’ll actually use less and taste more.  Begin with 1 1/2 teaspoons of dressing per salad serving.  Here’s a clue:  the secret is not in the dressing.

1. Dry your greens. All leaves (lettuce, spinach, arugula, parsley) must be completely dry.  Whether you swing a wire basket, spin a spinner, clean in advance, or dry on paper towels, make sure that there are no clinging droplets of water because lettuce with a wet surface will repel the dressing.
2. Start with a large bowl (preferably wood) allowing plenty of room to toss.  Do not make salad in individual serving bowls, I beg you; tossing will be impossible.  Make the salad dressing right in the bowl.  Next, grate a carrot to act as a buffer against the dressing until tossing time.  Tear greens into the bowl on top of the carrot.  No cutting with a knife, please; salads are best made by hand.  Finally, add whatever fresh vegetables you’ve selected or have on hand.  Add a few or many; choices are endless!  A modest salad might include green onion, mushroom and tomato; add celery (if you like more crunch), radish (for a little spice), red bell pepper (a touch of sweetness) or avocado (for sensuality).  And you’re done!  Just leave it as is until ready for serving, or proceed with Step 3 and enjoy while dinner is cooking.
3. Toss salad just before serving, using two wooden spoons or spatulas (or one of each).  Dressed salad has a very short shelf life but that doesn’t mean you can’t work in advance.  Just don’t toss until you’re ready to serve, and then spend at least a minute.  That’s right, 60 seconds.  I cannot stress this enough.  If you think you don’t have 60 seconds, just do some butt-clenching exercises or make a phone call while tossing, multitasking people that we are.  This will insure that every morsel in the bowl is evenly coated.  Dish into individual plates or bowls, wipe out the wooden bowl with a slightly damp paper towel, return it to the cupboard, and that’s one less thing to clean up after dinner.

And there you have a salad that will enhance any entrée.  You can make one in the amount of time you spent reading this post.  No shitake.