Tips and Tricks – Salad Days of Summer

tips and tricks

SALAD DAYS OF SUMMER

Constructing a mix of many textures and flavors.

WRITTEN BY SANDRA MACIAS
PHOTOS BY SHEA EVANS AND CHRIS HOLLOMAN

Forget about cooking tonight — it’s too hot. Instead, let’s make a constructed dinner salad.

We’ll start with fresh, leafy greens, followed by crunchy stuff: red peppers, snap peas, cucumbers. Some garbanzo beans, too, for contrasting texture. Add grilled veggies — how about yellow squash and heirloom tomatoes? The final touch: grilled salmon. Add a glass of wine and some chewy bread. Dinner is served.

With the seasonal basket chock full of gorgeous, farm-picked, fresh vegetables (and fruit, yet another option for a salad), you have a wealth of possibilities to compose a layered salad that is an easy, satisfying meal. The following are three recipes to inspire you and some tips to help you construct your own signature, all-in-one entrée salad.

Sandra Macias, a Reno-based food writer, is a fan of composed salads. Her summer favorite is salad Niçoise: lettuce, hard-boiled egg, haricots verts, tiny boiled potatoes, black Mediterranean olives, and canned tuna in oil (or fresh off the grill). Add anchovies on top (yes!) and she’s a happy camper.

Nectarine, Blueberry, and Goat Cheese Salad with Fresh Basil Vinaigrette

(courtesy of Debbie Branby, owner of The Cheese Board in Reno. Serves 8)

This is one of Debbie Branby’s favorite summer salads, one of many colors, textures, and tastes (which is what you want in an entrée salad). If you wish, you can add protein — grilled chicken or shrimp is delicious. (If you use protein, add another cup of greens per person). Add a grain, too, if desired, such as red quinoa or pearl couscous tossed with a bit of dressing. If goat cheese isn’t your favorite, switch to blue cheese. You will have extra vinaigrette (it keeps for a couple of days): Try it on arugula with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and toasted pistachios — “Delicious,” Branby says.

For the salad:

12 cups (lightly packed) mesclun greens

4 nectarines, halved, pitted, and cut into eighths

8 ounces blueberries

8 ounces soft goat cheese, slightly frozen and grated with a Microplane (or crumbled by hand)

½ cup toasted pecans, lightly toasted and chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the vinaigrette (makes 6 cups):

2 bunches fresh basil, stems removed

1 shallot, chopped

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup champagne vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cups canola oil

Using a blender, mix all ingredients except oil. Slowly stream in oil to emulsify and thin with a little water, if necessary. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

To construct salad:

In large bowl, toss greens with ½ cup of dressing to lightly coat leaves. In separate small bowl, toss nectarines and blueberries with 2 tablespoon of vinaigrette. Arrange dressed greens on platter or individual plates, scatter fruit and chopped pecans over top, and shower salad with grated goat cheese. Drizzle with a bit more dressing, if you like.

Warm Mushroom Salad with Onions, Berries, and Goat Cheese

(courtesy of Lara Ritchie, culinary director, Nothing To It Culinary Center in Reno. Serves 6)

This salad is versatile: It can be served vegetarian, or you can add grilled salmon, shrimp, chicken, or your favorite protein for a complete meal.

1 white onion, sliced ¼-inch thick into rings

3 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil

1¼ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

⅓ cup fresh orange juice

⅓ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 pound Chanterelle, cremini, or enoki mushrooms, or a mixture, wiped clean and sliced

4 cups mixed baby greens

2 cups fresh raspberries or blackberries

3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Put goat cheese in freezer while you prepare salad.

Preheat broiler. Line broiler pan with aluminum foil. In medium bowl, toss onion rings with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅓ teaspoon pepper. Put onion rings on prepared broiler pan and broil 4 inches from heat source for 5 to 6 minutes, or until slightly charred and softened. Let cool; set aside.

Prepare vinaigrette: In small bowl, whisk together orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

In large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and drain.

In large bowl, toss greens, berries, warm mushrooms, and onions with vinaigrette. Remove goat cheese from freezer, and use fork to crumble cheese over salad.

Double Edge Paleo Salad

(courtesy of Gino Scala, owner-director, Great Full Gardens Café & Eatery in Reno. Serves 4)

This salad, created in honor of Double Edge Fitness, the Midtown Reno health club, is one of the most popular at Great Full Gardens. The salad includes slices of tri-tip, which Gino Scala seasons with his Santa Maria rub, then marinates for 24 hours in the refrigerator. You can grill the tri-tip ahead of time (Scala grills it to rare) and chill it. At serving time, warm the meat (or bring to room temperature), carve into ¼-inch slices, and serve on top of the salad. (You also can grill and immediately serve it.)

Santa Maria rub

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1½ teaspoons onion powder

1½ teaspoons cayenne

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

1½ teaspoons dried rosemary (or fresh, finely minced)

¼ teaspoon dried sage

2-pound tri-tip

For salad

1 pound Brussels sprouts, chopped

1¼ pounds kale, chopped

1 to 4 jalapeños (depending on heat tolerance), finely diced

3 to 4 carrots, shredded

1½ large onions (1 pound), diced

1¼ pounds mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 large red pepper, diced

Coconut oil

For meat:

Mix ingredients for Santa Maria rub in bowl. Generously sprinkle tri-tip with rub and gently press into meat. (There will be leftover rub, useful for another meal.) Put in covered container and marinate for 24 hours. Grill (following instructions above ingredient list).

For salad:

In large pan, add enough coconut oil to lightly cover bottom. Sauté prepared vegetables at medium heat until al dente. Season with 1½ teaspoons salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, place in large bowl, and add cherry tomatoes and tri-tip slices.

For the final flourish, Scala says, “Bless the dish with good vibes and positive energy, and serve.”

Tips for composing your salad

What to consider

• Think texture, flavor, and focal point. For example: steak salad. Think about the kind of lettuce to use, especially if the meat will be warm. Mesclun? Too delicate. Perhaps arugula and romaine.
• Grilled protein or vegetables add another flavor dimension.
• Don’t be afraid to put warm, grilled ingredients on your cold salad.

Crunchy additions

• Toasted nuts, plain, sweet or savory
• Croutons
• Crispy noodles
• Carrots, celery, cucumber, jicama, red or yellow peppers, snap peas

Time savers

• Wash and dry lettuce immediately after bringing it home. Store in refrigerator in plastic or vegetable bags.
• When grilling vegetables for dinner, grill extra for future salads.
• Roast and peel red peppers, and store in olive oil in refrigerator.
• Ready-on-demand: goat cheese, blue cheese, feta, Parmesan.
• Handy salad extras: dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries; canned beans, garbanzos, black, cannellini (rinse beans before adding to salad); canned tuna; and anchovies.
• Stock up on grains, such as quinoa, pearl barley, farro, brown rice, pearl couscous.

Showing off with herbs

• Branch out from parsley and cilantro to tarragon, oregano, chives, rosemary, basil, mint lemon thyme, dill, and lavender.
• Use whole leaves of basil, oregano, or mint to toss in salad.
• Use in salad dressings.
• Salad dress-ups (aka dressings)
• Basic vinaigrette: Use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. That’s it. Easy to make, this takes less than five minutes.
• To that basic recipe, you can add: Dijon mustard or dried mustard, chopped garlic, finely chopped shallots, or fresh or dried herbs.
• Replace vinegar with lemon for a lemon vinaigrette (or use another citrus juice).
• Use quality vinegars and olive oils. Experiment with a variety of vinegars, including champagne, rice, and apple cider vinegars — ditto with oils other than olive oil, such as avocado, canola, grapeseed, walnut, and hazelnut.
• Don’t overdress your salad. The dressing is not about masking flavors, but moistening and adding flavor.

Handy to have

• No. 1: a sharp knife
• Salad spinner
• Sturdy, large chopping board
• Grater
• Kitchen scissors
• Mini whisk (to emulsify oil into your dressing)
• Vegetable peeler
• Mandoline slicer