I need new salads

[PurpleDingo99]

There are only so many salads between the blue cheese iceberg, green and fruit, louie, spinach, and so on. hell, ive even gone through the idaho spinach and strawberry special. Only thing i have left to try i can think of right now is a remoulade. any intresting salads i should know about?

[Jaymes]

I often put melon balls into my tossed green salads. Do it in place of tomatoes. It's not only really, really good, it's pretty, and surprising. So you get extra bang for your buck.

Oh -- also, love avocado, grapefruit and red onion salad. Just toss the slices with a good Italian or red wine vinegar, or other vinaigrette. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[fifi]

My current favorite is a rif on my mango salsa.

Coarsely shredded iceberg lettuce

Coarsely diced mango

Coarsely diced red onion

Some black beans (I typically use rinsed Goya brand canned)

I have been known to add some chopped red cabbage

Some jicama straws don't hurt, either

Dressing is a standard vinaigrette with some pure ancho powder, some pureed garlic (not too much), Mexican oregano and maybe a few shots of a habernero hot sauce. I generally use cider vinegar but if I could get some of the mild Mexican style pineapple vinegar that would be better.

[PurpleDingo99]

I often put melon balls into my tossed green salads.  Do it in place of tomatoes.  It's not only really, really good, it's pretty, and surprising.  So you get extra bang for your buck.

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do you mean bitter green/vinagrette salads, or what? i could see it working in a sweet spinach salad with the right dressing, but mayo-base would be completely out.

damn, fifi, i gotta try that! unfortunately, the only salad space i have left for this week is italian. besides a bastardized antipasto salad and all the expected stuff, got any suggestions?

Edited January 10, 2005 by PurpleDingo99 (log)

[Jaymes]

Actually, I'm wondering if you're only talking green salads here. Because of course, there are LOTS of good and interesting salads....

Rice salad

Cornbread Salad

Bean salads

Wild Rice & Black-Eyed Peas

Taboule

Pasta salads

cold meat marinated salads of Germany and Thailand, among many others.

Often, when I'm having a dinner party and in the mood for some sort of really interesting salad, I'll go stand at the prepared food section of a good deli and get something and toss that with the mixed greens. It really almost never fails to be good.

[PurpleDingo99]

im talking about any kind of salad, really (lets stick a gravel salad on that list too.) i have yet to try a cornbread salad cause my family doesnt like the stuff, but most everything else ive tried (except for a rice salad. i think i may be making thai cold meat salad this week, actually.)

[Jaymes]

I often put melon balls into my tossed green salads.  Do it in place of tomatoes.  It's not only really, really good, it's pretty, and surprising.  So you get extra bang for your buck.

do you mean bitter green/vinagrette salads, or what? i could see it working in a sweet spinach salad with the right dressing, but mayo-base would be completely out.

You've got to try it before you 'get' it. I don't put them in a sweet salad, such as spinach, with the 'right' dressing. Actually, I've never tried that, but don't think it'd be as good. It's best in a plain tossed green salad, with the usual suspects -- mixed greens, onions, croutons. And it works equally brilliantly with both vinaigrette and mayo-based dressings. I know it sounds odd, but it's really good. And like I said, it's my standard dinner party salad, and everybody always is surprised. "Is this cantaloupe in here???" You've just got to try it. Just don't put tomatoes as well.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[bloviatrix]

I like to saute a variety of mushrooms, when most of the liquid is gone I add garlic and saute a bit more. Finally I add sherry and balsamic vinegar. I serve this warm on a bed of arugala, the warmth of the mushrooms wilting the greens.

[Jaymes]

unfortunately, the only salad space i have left for this week is italian.

Perfect timing for either a tossed green salad with melon balls and Italian dressing. Or the grapefruit, avocado, red onion slices with Italian dressing.

[PurpleDingo99]

damn- i just got back from the market and their avacados cost a bunch. i didnt see the followup melon ball post and went looking for winter melon. they didnt have it, so i moved on and just got generic salad stuff for now that i can work with (i decided on trying to do a strange cesar, although i dont know exactly what im going to do yet. I may make balsamic-soaked bruchetta crutons and burnt cheese 'paper' with pinenuts.)

meanwhile, i set out to make a thai meal. due to the remodel that will last until april, their usually 12-foot-wide asian section has been reduced to 4 feet of just about nothing. no fish sauce, only saifun rice noodles, no curry sauce (powder and block only,) and just about nothing else. just generic sauces and sauce packets with a few top ramens, 13 1/2 soy sauces, tempura batter, and panko labeled 'shrimp breading' or something like that. in fact, i dont even think they had any fresh anise. its a sad state, even the employees agree. :(

7 on a sunday garentees lots less people and friendlier employees, though. Me and this italian guy in produce were just bullshitting about how bad the place has gotten. hell, on the asian stuff, he even said "you might as well just go over to safeway for that stuff."

[JAZ]

A winter salad I like is butter lettuce, sliced tart apples, cheddar cheese (crumbled if it's really aged; cubed or sliced if it's not) and toasted walnuts with a sherry vinegar/walnut oil vinaigrette.

If you like beets, you could make a beet salad with a) mint, feta cheese; dressed with a walnut oil/raspberry vinegar dressing or b) oranges, red onion and toasted pistachios or hazelnuts with a hazelnut/champagne vinaigrette.

I've also made a warm cabbage salad, based on a recipe from Hubert Keller, with shredded cabbage and carrot, diced apple, bacon, and toasted walnuts. It's dressed with a warm vinaigrette flavored with caraway seeds.

[Mooshmouse]

One salad that I get requests for all the time is an Asian salad made with one head of shredded sui choy tossed with one bunch of chopped green onions and a crunchy mixture of butter-toasted sesame seeds, slivered or sliced almonds and crushed ramen noodles. Dressing is a simple vinegarette which includes soya sauce and a generous helping of sugar. Even my preschooler loves this one.

[Syrah]

I like to saute a variety of mushrooms, when most of the liquid is gone I add garlic and saute a bit more.  Finally I add sherry and balsamic vinegar.  I serve this warm on a bed of arugala, the warmth of the mushrooms wilting the greens.

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That is a bloody good idea.. I'm going to steal that one.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Syrah (log)

[Carlovski]

On the green salad with fruit theme, how about watercress and orange salad (Orange segments to be scrupulously de-pithed!).

I also add red onion. But then again I just love onion.

I also like parsley salads with lots of red onion and lemon juice - sometimes with a little mint as well.

[FatTony]

We had a wonderful and simple salad at Casa Mono in New York the other day and I was kicking myself all the way home not to have asked how they made their dressing. New York Times to the rescue: a mention was made of the dish in the following day's Dining section piece on Marcona almonds. While this isn't quite a "recipe", I'm dying to try it (and would love to hear anyone else's experience.)

To quote from the piece:

"Casa Mono's house salad is a tumble of frisée sprinkled with ground Marcona almonds colored bright orange from being roasted with pimentón. A sweet-sour dressing of sherry vinegar, olive oil and quince paste melted with orange juice glosses the greens, while slices of manchego cheese perch against the frisée and add buttery toothsomeness."

I'm going to have a stab at doing it their way first, but regular almonds or hazlenuts would work here I think. The main event is the pairing of manchego with bitter leaves, dressed with quince paste.

[Jake]

I like to saute a variety of mushrooms, when most of the liquid is gone I add garlic and saute a bit more.  Finally I add sherry and balsamic vinegar.  I serve this warm on a bed of arugala, the warmth of the mushrooms wilting the greens.

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Very similar to one of mine except I add bacon and green onions to the warm mixture, use some dijon in the dressing add some baby spinach to the arugula!

[Mabelline]

You can certainly do the med-style bread salad. You cube up good bread, let it dry, then soak it in cold water about 10 minutes, squeeze the water out--not soggy, still recognizible. You mix it with sliced up tomatoes, onions, greens with flavor, olives, and a vinaigrette. Good stuff. You'll get like me, and start searching out different breads to use for it.

Don't overlook the preserved section of your market. Plain ole pickles, sweet, dill, or sour, olives, capers, antipasto mixes, all kinds of stuff can be salads.

[Jaymes]

You can certainly do the med-style bread salad. You cube up good bread, let it dry, then soak it in cold water about 10 minutes, squeeze the water out--not soggy, still recognizible. You mix it with sliced up tomatoes, onions, greens with flavor, olives, and a vinaigrette. Good stuff. You'll get like me, and start searching out different breads to use for it.

I love that stuff. I think it's particularly good with steak. Good 'get' Mabelline.

[Mabelline]

Thank you, ma'am. I am a bread salad groupy.

[irodguy]

I personally like a good cucumber salad made

Cucumber peeled, seeds removed thinly sliced

Rice Vinegar

Sesame seed

Japanese Chili Oil

1 Clove Garlic crushed

Sweeten to taste

I normally serve this with seared Salmon on top

Another good one for this time of year

1 Can Black Eyed Peas Washed and Drained

1 Cup Minced Red Onion

1 Cup Diced Bell Pepper Optional

1 Clove Garlic

Juice of 2 to 3 Limes

3 T Ginger Fresh Grated

1/4 Cup EVOO

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Cilantro Optional

[cjs]

One of my favorites is a grilled Vegetable salad.

Grill green/yellow zuccini, red/ green/ yellow/ orange peppers, onions, egg plant. What ever you like really. I sometimes add steamed asparagus, mushrooms. Then toss with olive oil and balsamic, little s&p. ta da.

[PurpleDingo99]

some of these sound really kickass. i decided to do something with green beans tonight and, white only questionably a salad, it was kickass. all i did was steam some green beans until they were only barely undercooked and stir fried some halved and sliced portabellas in a combination of wok oil (heavy in the garlic) and EVOO. When the mushroom began to buckle, i added some minced pearl onions and more crushed garlic as well as a little dill weed and waited until the onions went clear. then, i just threw the beans in there and stirred em for a moment. served with some crappy parmesan powder bullshit, it was pretty damn kickin. next time, i might use even more dill weed to give it a more distinct flavor. I was considering putting nuts in there, but the beans provided plenty of crunch already.

Edited January 11, 2005 by PurpleDingo99 (log)

[stovetop]

A Mango and Baby Shrimp Salad, Roasted Sweet Peppers, Heirloom Tomato Wedges with an Apple cider and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

[kellytree]

how about a boring fennel, orange, and black olive salad?

I also like arugula, fresh mushrooms, and shavings of whatever kind of hard cheese you like.

cooked beets, sliced onions, apples, a boatload of vinegar, a drizzle of oil, and s+p is also good (let it sit for a few hours before serving)

[bleudauvergne]

There's something very appealing about radicchio and also wilted wild chicory (not the frizeed type) at this time of year. You can incorporate boiled roots chopped in chunks, pork slivers, and a dressing incorporating black mustard grains.