Previous
Try Out Your Salad Chops with a Dash of Creativity, Fresh Ingredients
July 9, 2008
LOCAL PICKS
Try Out Your Salad Chops with a Dash of Creativity, Fresh Ingredients
By Denise Miller
For the Journal
How could I have been ignorant about chopped salads for so long? I swear I never heard of them until my sister-in-law in Chicago kept threatening to make one.
We never did make one during that visit, but when I got home, I started experimenting, and now I am hooked.
So what's so special about a chopped salad? Not much, actually, except that by chopping everything to a somewhat uniform size, flavors and textures mingle in every bite, creating an extra good salad.
The other thing I particularly enjoy is that the only rule is that there are no rules. Your salads are an evolving creation of what you like and/or have on hand.
My current favorite includes grilled chicken (I always cook extra so there will be leftovers), sprouts and almonds, along with a sweet orange dressing.
Having a chopped spinach salad? Add hard-boiled eggs and crumbled blue cheese. Have leftover steak? Slice it and throw it in.
Freshness is key
Start with the freshest ingredients you can find. You can taste the difference in your finished salad when your ingredients are farm fresh.
Greens are key, and plenty of excellent lettuce varieties can be found at your local growers market all summer. Heartier greens work best for chopped salad. Fresh baby greens are so perfect that I prefer not to chop them, preparing them instead with chopped ingredients in the dressing.
Before you start chopping, make sure you have removed all of the moisture from your lettuce and vegetables. Otherwise everything will get soggy because chopping releases even more moisture.
Chop all ingredients the same size. Denser food items, such as chicken breasts, work best if they are pre-sliced or cut down in size before adding to the salad mixture.
You can chop ingredients ahead of time and store them separately until you are ready to serve the salad.
Go light on the dressing when you prepare your salad, as a little dressing goes a long way once the ingredients are chopped. You can make your own dressing (like the basic vinaigrette below) or choose an old favorite that complements your salad ingredients. Use a large bowl to mix the complete salad in the dressing because this is an essential part of what makes these salads extra flavorful.
Go crazy with ingredients
Be creative with your add-ins. Different flavors and textures are what make chopped salads fun. Try growers market sprouts, fresh summer cucumbers or sweet berries.
Think of sandwich or meal combinations that you enjoy and try those same ingredients in your salad. Just remember to jot down your favorite combinations, so you can re-create them next time.
AUNT ANN'S BASIC VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together. Shake well.
CHOPPED SALAD INGREDIENT IDEAS
Veggies & More:
Broccoli Capers Carrots Cauliflower Chickpeas Corn Cucumber Eggs Fennel Leeks Grilled sweet onions Jicama Olives Peppers Portobello mushrooms Red onion Roasted beets Roasted peppers Shiitake mushrooms Smoked bacon Sugar snap peas Sun-dried tomatoes Sweet potato Tomatoes
Sweet add-ins:
Apples Dried cranberries or cherries Coconut Mango Pears Raisins
Crunchy add-ins:
Almond Croutons Hazelnuts Peanuts Pine nuts Sunflower seeds Tortilla chips Asian noodles
Cheese add-ins:
Asiago Blue cheese Cheddar Feta Goat cheese Mozzarella Parmesan
Meat add-ins:
Chicken breast Grilled tuna Grilled salmon Shrimp Sliced ham Smoked turkey Steak
