Salads With Sizzle How Do You Dress Up A Salad Into A Meal? Chefs Offer Their Suggestions
Take one wedge of iceberg lettuce. Open a bottle of dressing and pour. Garnish with a tomato slice.
You’ve got salad, 1960s-style.
That kind of cursory treatment of salads just doesn’t cut it in the ‘90s, though, when even lettuce has graduated to being called “field greens.”
Never before have we had such a selection of goodies to fill our bowls. Showing up in produce sections everywhere are exotica such as purple asparagus, arugula, herbs of all kinds, fresh fava beans, edible flowers and wild mushrooms.
Still, some people are stumped about how to put it all together - how to make a stunning salad with very little effort. So we asked the pros, chefs who earn their bread and butter creating interesting greens, for advice on making summer salads sizzle.
Here are their savory suggestions:
Laith Elaimy, of Niko’s II in downtown Spokane, believes in keeping it simple.
“A great salad should be flavorful and easy because I don’t have a ton of time,” Elaimy said. Some 40 selections rotate regularly at his salad bar as the choices change daily.
The most popular salads at Niko’s are built on a foundation of grain or pasta. For instance, barley is combined with peas and a dill dressing, or bow-tie pasta is tossed with softened sun-dried tomatoes, basil and olive oil. For a recent favorite, Elaimy took cooked cold spaghetti and added a mix of marinated veggies.
“It was really visually appealing and so easy to make,” he said.
Or, start with your basic green salad and add plain cooked pasta. You’ve elevated a side dish into an entree.
Pine nuts and walnuts also make a great addition to any salad, he said, adding crunchy texture and packing protein.
Elaimy doesn’t like to drench his salads in dressing. So, he showcases good vinegars and fresh lemon juice and reduces the amount of olive oil.
“It’s important with dressings to take a basic flavor and don’t dump a lot of things into it,” he said.
One of his standards is a mixture of lemon juice, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Whirl in a blender or put in a jar and shake; add herbs such as basil or mint if you like.
For a real flavor booster for dressing, saute garlic in olive oil and, once it cools, add vinegar.
“It really brings out the flavor of the garlic,” Elaimy said.
At Lindaman’s in Spokane, the kitchen has more than 60 salads in its repertoire.
“We’re always experimenting with new flavors,” said co-owner Merrilee Lindaman.
This season’s hot ingredients include grilled portobello mushrooms, pea sprouts and lemon grass.
“People are intimidated by lemon grass because they’re not sure how to use it, but if you take the yellow part of it and the bulb and crush it in the food processor and let it steep in some olive oil overnight, it adds a great tart flavor to dressings,” Lindman said.
Lindaman likes to challenge her customers by combining unlikely ingredients.
“This time of year, I love marinating (lightly cooked) asparagus in an Asian dressing with whole strawberries,” she said. “It’s a beautiful presentation and it’s fun because people don’t think they’re going to like those two things together until they try it, and then they’re hooked.”
She also pairs spicy chicken with cool melon for a meal-size salad that’s become a bestseller.
“People love it because it’s very light and refreshing,” Lindaman said.
To breathe new life into plain old lettuce, Lindaman recommended adding your favorite herbs, some sliced fennel bulb or some of the spicier sprouts like pea sprouts that are on the market now.
“They add an unexpected zip. It makes a big difference,” she said.
Marilyn Nergord, the chef-owner of Capers in Coeur d’Alene, describes the ultimate salad as something that’s fun to look at and that has surprising flavors.
For a recent hit, “we mixed sauteed mushrooms, fennel, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and slivers of red onions and came up with something that has a crisp, fresh taste,” she said.
She also combines fresh green beans with feta and walnuts for a light but satisfying dish.
Nergord encourages experimentation, but recommends sampling your creation as you go along.
“There are so many variables. How ripe the fruit or vegetables are can affect the taste of the salad, so it’s a good idea to taste everything,” she said.
Summer is a good time to lighten up, too.
“A lot of times people gravitate toward heavier salads because they want to feel full, but this time of year, people eat lighter,” she said.
Adding grains or beans can give a salad substance without weighing it down with fat.
“You can take so many of the healthy grains and make it really satisfying without being overwhelming,” she said.
For legume-based salads, such as Capers’ Mediterranean-style black beans, Nergord has found that using fresh citrus juices can add a welcome zing.
“It really brightens up the flavors without adding calories,” she said.
As a vegetarian, salads are obviously a big part of Tonia Buckmiller’s diet. And the chef at Mizuna in Spokane is diligent about making them interesting.
It’s essential, she said, to start with the freshest ingredients.
“There’s such a huge difference in flavor when you buy the fresh organic produce,” she said. “It actually tastes like something because it’s picked and shipped within a couple of days. With the other stuff, you don’t know how long it sits around in a warehouse.”
There has been an explosion in recent years in the variety of greens available, and Buckmiller is delighted to showcase some of the lesser-known lettuces.
“When you have a mix of wild greens, every bite is different,” she said. “It really gives a salad diversity.”
She’s a big fan of grains, too.
“You take something like bulgur wheat and you don’t even have to cook it,” Buckmiller said of the course-textured grain that softens when it’s soaked. “And you can add anything to it. I put sun-dried tomatoes, shredded Napa cabbage and carrots with it and mix it with a tahini-lime dressing. Bulgur is not limited to tabbouleh.”
She also employs millet, quinoa, barley and brown rice in her grain salads, which the menu rightfully bills as “energizing.”
“One of my favorites is wheat berries. I boil wheat berries for about an hour and make a Mexican salad with corn, black beans and roasted red peppers, with a chipotle-lime dressing,” Buckmiller said.
She likes to make her grain and pasta salads a day ahead, so the flavors fully develop. Buckmiller also suggested making dressings stronger when they are used on grains or pasta.
“You need to go back and taste it because you might need to add more dressing. Pasta, especially, absorbs everything,” she said.
No matter how you toss it, people eat more salads in the summer. The following recipes from area restaurateurs offer a fresh approach to warm-weather menus.
Cajun Chicken Salad
Cantaloupe adds a cool balance to the fiery Cajun spices in this popular entree-size salad from Lindaman’s.
2-1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2-1/2 tablespoons thyme
2 tablespoons oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon salt
2 cantaloupes, peeled, seeded and cut into medium chunks
1 bunch green onions, minced
1 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, finely minced
1/2 cup lime juice
Combine garlic, cayenne, chili powder, thyme, oregano, white and black pepper, cumin, paprika and salt. Rub over chicken pieces.
Lightly oil sheet pans. Place chicken on pans and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
Cool chicken and toss with remaining ingredients. If desired, serve over a bed of wild greens.
Yield: 6 servings.
Quinoa and White Bean Salad
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is high in protein and has a nutty, slightly grassy taste that marries nicely with crunchy fennel and tart citrus flavors in this dish from Mizuna.
1 cup quinoa
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock, homemade or canned
1 cup cooked white beans (rinse if using canned beans)
1 cup fennel bulb, chopped (save tops for garnish)
2 medium oranges, peeled, seeded and cut
1/2 small red onion, minced
Apricot-Tarragon Dressing (recipe follows)
Salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach, washed and drained
1 cup enoki mushrooms (available in produce sections of larger supermarkets)
1 tablespoon chive flowers (optional)
Rinse quinoa well in a sieve under cool running water. Drain.
Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.
In a medium bowl, combine cooled quinoa with the beans, fennel, orange pieces and onions. Add dressing and toss until completely coated. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Arrange spinach leaves on plates and top with thoroughly tossed salad. Garnish with enoki mushrooms, chive flowers and a fennel feather (from fennel tops).
Yield: 4 servings.
Apricot-Tarragon Dressing:
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 ripe apricot
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
Seed apricot and place in blender with remaining ingredients, except tarragon. Blend until creamy. Stir in tarragon.
Niko’s Lentil Salad
Lightly cooked legumes give this salad a satisfying heft.
4 cups lentils
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh chives or green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
1 red bell pepper, diced
Red wine vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Salt, to taste
In a large pot, cover lentils with water and bring to a boil. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water, then drain well again and let cool.
Prepare dressing. Add cooled lentils and vegetables; mix well and season with salt to taste. For best flavor, prepare a day in advance and refrigerate.
Yield: 4 servings.
Red Wine Vinaigrette
6 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons dill weed
1-1/2 teaspoons thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Crush the garlic in a press and add to olive oil. Add mustard, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper and mix well.
Spring Green Beans With Toasted Walnuts and Feta
Marilyn Nergord at Capers in Coeur d’Alene uses mint in this salad as a refreshing contrast to the creamy feta cheese.
1 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup minced red onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh mint, minced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Snap ends off the green beans. Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, then plunge into cold water.
In a 375-degree oven, toast walnuts for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely to make sure they don’t burn.
Mix dressing ingredients until well blended. Combine green beans, toasted walnuts, red onions and feta cheese and toss with dressing.
Yield: 4 servings.
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