"Simply Great
Greens"
June 03, 2010
- Vol 2, Issue 11
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Greens
All Dressed Up!
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Early
summer means that a prolific harvest of field greens and
lettuces is underway. Farmers' markets are full of great
greens ready to be turned into fantastic salads. Greens
dressed to perfection look beautiful, taste delicious,
and bring muc h needed color into your diet.
Start with a bed of greens, add vegetables, fruits,
meats, nuts, or cheeses for the ideal side dish, or the
grand entrée itself.
In this
issue, we explore the variety of greens available
and how best to handle them. Then, we guide you through
dressing your greens with the perfect vinaigrette and
seasoning the salad to taste. We finish with three
scrumptious green salads, each with a different taste
and personality, ready to grace your table and satisfy
your taste
buds.
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June
Events
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Annual
Sidewalk Sale
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June
Special
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Spin Up a
Salad
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Once was
the day when a tossed salad meant iceberg lettuce garnished
with a tomato wedge or two and a few slices of cucumber. That
scenario is ancient history. Farmers' markets are full of
alternatives and variations. Today's salads range across
dozens of leafy greens, wonderful individually, or as part of
complementary mixtures. As well, in the last few years
packaged greens have become popular, and now account for over
80% of leafy green produce sales. This new way of presenting
greens has benefited the consumer with a greater variety of
produce in fresh, usable portions.
Types of Greens - The
plethora of available greens gives us the opportunity for some
new flavor explorations, texture experimentation, and color
excitement. Some greens provide crunch better than others,
some are mild in taste, others are bitter.
Do Packaged, Pre-Washed Greens Need
Washing?Yes! Despite the claims of "triple-washed" on
the packaging, bagged produce is subject to the same field and
handling exposure as homegrown greens. A recent study by Consumer
Reports in March 2010 convinced us that all greens need
washing. The investigation studied 208 packages of bagged
greens from 16 brands. The results revealed that 39% of the
packages had unhealthy levels of bacterial contamination,
(though none had E. coli, salmonella, or listeria, some
particularly potent bacteria). The type of packaging, brand,
or whether the greens were organic or not, did not seem to
influence the contamination pattern. However, the fresher the
greens, the less the contamination. The report recommends
three actions: (1) Choose the freshest greens, (2) Wash them,
and, (3) Keep greens away from raw meat to reduce
cross-contamination.
Does Washing Really Help?
Yes. Since fresh salad produce is not cooked to
bacteria-killing temperatures, it's impossible to eliminate
contamination with 100% surety. But, washing can greatly
reduce the quantity of contaminants, and, thereby, minimize
exposure to levels that our bodies are used to managing.
How to Wash
Greens - By definition, greens grow close to the ground
and pick up dirt as they grow and as rain splashes dirt on the
leaves. Greens harvested from your garden, the local farmers'
market, or bagged from the supermarket all require washing.
The cold water bath will also help to freshen and rehydrate
the leaves.
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Dress It
Up
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Good greens like
to dress up for the occasion. As tasty as they are on their
own, it's the marriage of greens with dressing that make for
the full salad experience. Salad dressings can be generally
classified into three types: (1) Vinaigrettes (oil and
vinegar-based), (2) Mayonnaise-based, and (3) Dairy-based
(sour cream, buttermilk, or cream). A great dressing provides
an essential layer of flavor in a concentrated form that
accentuates the salad and brings out the best of the fresh
produce without overpowering the moment. We'll focus here on
vinaigrettes.
 The Magic Ratio for
Vinaigrettes - We're fondest of oil and vinegar
variations because they allow the greens' flavor and
appearance to shine on the plate and in the mouth.
Vinaigrettes sport an oil to vinegar ratio of 3:1, three parts
oil for every one part vinegar. From this classic formula, any
number of combinations and additions serve to shape the
vinaigrette's personality.
Choosing the Oil -
Aficionados recommend using a neutral-to-lightly flavored oil
for salads. Neutral oils include canola, soy, or safflower
oil.  Our favorite, of course, is olive
oil. Use only extra-virgin olive oil, the oil from the first
pressing of the olives, for salads. The delicate flavor is a
perfect foil for most salads. Save strongly flavored oils such
as walnut, sesame, or chili, as accents in the
dressing.
What is
Vinegar? - Vinegar is the naturally occurring result of
two fermentation processes. Sweet liquids undergo a first
fermentation process where yeast breaks down the sugars into
alcohol. The second fermentation uses Acetobacter bacteria to
break down the alcohol into acetic acid. To be a vinegar,
there must be at least 4% acetic acid in the liquid.  However, water and acetic acid do not
make vinegar; rather, it is the original fruit's character,
flavor, vitamins, and minerals that give vinegar its taste and
character. We are most familiar with vinegars made from apple
juice and grape juice, though any plant with sugars can become
vinegar. For example, malt vinegar, the British standard, is
made from germinated grain.
Mixing Vinaigrettes- Oil and
water don't mix, we know that. For salad dressings, the oil
and water is shaken or stirred enough so that a temporary
emulsion is achieved and salads evenly dressed. Three common
kitchen tools make great dressings: whisk, food processor, or
blender. Our mini-food processor is particularly nice for
chopping the garlic and shallots first prior to adding the
vinegar and oil.  Whatever your tool of choice, make
the dressing in glass or stain-resistant plastic containers
with stainless steel utensils. Aluminum vessels and utensils
will react with the vinegar leaving a metallic taste. Mix all
of the dressing ingredients, except the oil, and blend
thoroughly. Slowly drizzle the oil into the vinegar base while
whisking or processing. The tiny hole in the feed tube of your
food processor is made especially for the gradual addition of
oil.
Toss and
Serve - Immediately before serving, drizzle the
dressing over the freshly prepared greens. Ensure that the
greens are dry or the dressing will not adhere to the leaves'
surfaces. With salad utensils, toss so that all of the greens
are evenly coated with the dressing. A vinaigrette dressing
has the effect of wilting the salad in a very short time, so
serve and enjoy
immediately.
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Season to
Taste
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 Green salads host the perfect occasion
for finishing with salt and pepper. Not only are salt and
pepper a great flavor addition, they add a visual touch and,
potentially, a little culinary performance art. Here are some
quick definitions and tips on "seasoning to
taste."
Salt -
This ubiquitous seasoning is simple sodium chloride, yet comes
in many forms that will impact your cooking life:
Table salt
- This salt is very fine grained and is generally mined
from salt deposits. Table salt is available in iodized or
non-iodized forms. Unless specified otherwise, recipes calling
for salt refer to table salt. Kosher
salt - This salt is larger grained and typically
without additives. The larger grains do not dissolve as
readily as table salt providing certain advantages in various
cooking situations. Because of the larger grains, one teaspoon
of kosher salt is half to one-third as potent as one teaspoon
of table salt. If substituting kosher salt, measure by weight
instead of volume. Sea salt
- Derived from evaporated seawater, sea salt has the advantage
of micro-flavors from minerals of the region. Specialty salts
are perfect for finishing salads where they willing bloom and
are showcased to perfection. We'd be happy to walk you through
the different choices of finishing salts. 
Pepper - Married with salt
forever, freshly ground pepper on a salad complements the
greens and the dressing. Unrelated to chili peppers,
peppercorns are dried fruits that when ground, release
piperine compounds that stimulate our taste buds. The potency
of pepper evaporates quickly when exposed to air, so grind
peppercorns just before using.
Shakers, Shavers, and
Grinders - One of our favorite gifts for newlyweds is a
quality salt and pepper set. We have many choices that are
truly works of art ready to grace any table. Salt shavers are
unique tools that transform a chunk of salt into small flakes
as a finishing step. Never put salt in a pepper grinder, or
vice versa - each device is specially made for its designated
contents.
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| Smart Green Salad
Tips |
Tip #1: When eating salad,
proper etiquette allows for cutting larger leaves or
vegetables into bite-sized pieces for easier eating.
You may use
the side of the salad fork for cutting, or a fork and knife.
 Do not cut the
entire salad at the onset, but cut bite by bite.
Tip #2: Update your
peeler! There are so many new styles of peelers available,
that it's worth a renewed exploration of the genre. Many
peelers feature ceramic blades and ergonomic
handles.
Tip #3: Vinegar is magic
throughout the home. Use white distilled vinegar to clean your
microwave. Combine 4 tablespoons of vinegar in 1 cup of water.
Bring the solution to a boil in your microwave and allow to
sit for a few minutes. The steam will soften and loosen any
spatters, and the vinegar will cut through any
grease.
 Tip #4: A lettuce knife
transforms any leafy head into manageable eating size. But,
its serrated edge also makes it useful for cutting cakes and
softer breads. A lettuce knife affords greater food safety by
eliminating the need to tear lettuce by hand. The special
plastic blade avoids the oxidation and browning inspired by a
metal blade.
Tip #5: The "Dirty Dozen"
list identifies fruits and vegetables that retain the most
pesticides. The ranking includes "lettuces" among the dirty
dozen, with fresh spinach lying just outside the cutoff. This
information points us toward choosing organic versions of
greens.
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| Q &
A's |
Q: Can I make my own flavored
oils?
A: Yes,
but do so very cautiously. Fresh herbs, garlic, or other
flavor additions to oil contain water. When immersed in oil,
an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) is formed. Naturally
occurring bacteria can thrive in this situation, most notably
the bacteria responsible for the botulism toxin. Use
impeccably clean additions, refrigerate, and use within one
week. We highly recommend using commercially prepared flavored
oils.
Q: What is
balsamic vinegar?
A: Balsamic vinegar is a
delicious, nearly magical, form of vinegar that has been aged
to perfection. There are two types of balsamic vinegar, Aceto Balsamico
Tradizionale, and Condimento Grade. The former
begins with a reduction of grape juice to 30% of its original
volume.  Like other vinegars, the juice goes
through fermentation processes, but differs from everyday,
"condimento grade"
balsamics by an aging process through a special sequence of
different wooden casks that may be 12, 18 or 25 years in
length. True tradizionale balsamics are
made only in the Modena or Reggio Emilia regions of Italy and
reflect their rarity in their price point.
Q: Why are ceramic blades
recommended when preparing produce?
A: Ceramic blades are made
from zirconia compounds fired at high temperatures. The result
is a blade that is chemically inert unlike a metal knife
blade. Produce cut with a metal knife will brown more quickly
due to the interaction of metal molecules with the fruit or
vegetable; a ceramic blade will delay the natural oxidation
processes. Do the apple test - cut one apple with a metal
blade, another with a ceramic blade. Allow the apples to sit
and note the different speeds in browning.
Q: How long will vinegar
last?
A:
Because of its strong acidic nature, vinegar will last
indefinitely and does not require refrigeration. The
environment is inhospitable to bacteria and sports an acidity
of between 4 -
7%.
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| Cookbook
Review |
Simply
Salads by Jennifer Chandler. Photography by Langdon
Clay. Published by Rutledge Hill Press, a division of Thomas
Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. Copyright 2006.
This has
quickly become one of our favorite salad cookbooks. The book
is premised on pre-packaged lettuce mixtures. With these
readily available greens, any number of salad combinations is
quickly accessible. Ms. Chandler sets the scene with a brief
explanation of greens and definitions of the common mixtures.
From there she offers chapters of delicious salads based on
just greens, then greens paired with poultry, meat, seafood,
vegetable, fruits, and grains. Each recipe is matched with the
perfect complementary dressing. The recipes create easy
elegance as an everyday routine for the salad plate. There's a
summer's worth of great salads ahead with this book in your
hand.
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| Simply Great
Green Salad Recipes |
Recipes
excerpted from Simply
Salads by Jennifer Chandler. Published by Rutledge Hill
Press, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN.
Copyright 2006. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
All rights reserved.
 Spinach Salad with Roasted Cherry
Tomatoes
with Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette
View and
Print
Tender baby
spinach leaves are some of our favorite greens. In this salad,
roasted cherry tomatoes provide a concentrated flavor burst
and are simple to make. A few thinly sliced red onions and a
generous crumble of blue cheese completes the salad. A
balsamic vinaigrette ties the experience
together.
 Warm Goat Cheese Salad
with Grainy
Mustard Vinaigrette
View and
Print
Romaine and
iceberg pair with the slight bitterness of endive and
radicchio to set the backdrop for this salad. Medallions of
goat cheese are covered with breadcrumbs and toasted to golden
perfection. The vinaigrette, spiked with whole-grain mustard,
complements both the greens and the warmed
cheese.
 Hot Chili Oil Salad
with Hot
Chili Oil Vinaigrette
View and
Print
This salad
packs some cool heat in every bite. A fresh mixture of spring
greens is ornamented with sliced, red-ripe strawberries with
plenty of crunch from matchsticks of jicama and thin slices of
red onion. The dressing brings it all to life with a mixture
of chopped fresh herbs and a liberal dose of hot chili
oil.
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Dress up some
fresh spring greens and make a great
salad!
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Wanda and the Entire Staff
Kitchen & Spice and
other things nice | |
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