The Salad
The salad has long been an expected part of the meal, but salads
seldom get the attention they deserve. When one moves beyond the staid
iceberg lettuce and ventures to other salad greens, such as romaine, red
leaf, or butter lettuce as well as arugula, spinach, shredded red, green
or white cabbage, the plain salad takes on an entirely new identify. In
fact, there is no limit to the number of varieties this healthy lunch or
dinner choice can assume. A salad could be a course preceding the main
entrée, or a meal unto itself. Depending on the dressings and other
toppings, a salad can be bland or spicy, but always delicious.
To prepare a classic tossed salad, any one of the salad greens mentioned
above, or a combination two or more are literally tossed together with
any combination of onions, cucumbers tomatoes, radishes, carrots,
broccoli and mushrooms. Dressings range from the mild and creamy ranch,
thousand island or French dressings to tangy ginger or zesty
vinaigrettes, with more varieties being added every day. A trip down the
dressings aisle of any grocery store could require several minutes for a
shopper to select just the right salad dressing to take home to the
family.
Dressings make the salad. Not only does the choice of salad dressing
change the character of the salad, it can have the same effect on the
entire meal. For instance, a salad served alongside a meal of broiled
salmon with hollandaise sauce and capers on a bed of wild rice with
asparagus spears might call for a dressing that compliments the flavors
of the meal without overpowering it. A light raspberry vinaigrette or
cream based dressing would be an excellent choice. A meal of pasta and
meat sauce or lasagna might call for a more hearty dressing, such as
balsamic vinaigrette or a classic Italian dressing with lots of garlic,
anchovies and bold seasonings. Ginger based salad dressings tend to go
best with Thai or Japanese meals, while smooth, cool, yogurt based
dressings are the perfect compliment to Indian cuisine. |
