A Good Green Salad: The Perfect Start to a Meal
By Mackenzie Childs
Dim lighting. Crisp white tablecloths. The quiet symphony of Beehtoven. Fresh bread and garlic wafting through the air. A leather-bound menu in a foreign language.
These are what greet you as you sit down for your meal. After perusing the menu, you decide to start with the house salad, envisioning a medley of greens, cherry tomato halves, thin slices of radish and cucumber, all carefully tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmesan cheese. Instead, you’re horrified when greeted with a plate of pale iceberg lettuce that is beginning to turn red, a pile of shredded carrot, and three cucumber slices approximately half an inch-thick, all swimming in some uninspired salad dressing straight from a convenience store bottle.
The quality of a green salad can set the tone for a meal. Here are some tips on how you can make a better green salad than many restaurants.
Start with a base green that suits the rest of the salad. Some good choices are romaine, spring mix, spinach, or arugula. Romaine is versatile and sturdy. Spring mix provides a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. Spinach is soft with a mid flavor whereas arugula is peppery.
Choose your toppings sparingly. Aim for a balance of something sweet (fruit, cooked vegetables, etc.), something crunchy (vegetables, nuts, etc.), and something creamy (cheese or dressing).
Toss the salads before plating or serving to ensure an even distribution of dressing in each bite.
Here is my go-to salad that hits all these criteria.
Beet and Mixed-Green Salad
Serves: 6 people
Photo by @louishandsel on Unsplash
Ingredients:
1 tsp mustard
6 oz gorgonzola, cut into six even pieces
2 oz pistachios
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 small-to-medium sized beets
¾ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup sliced red onion
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup water
1 tsp white sugar
10 oz salad mix
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 ℉ (160℃).
In a small roasting dish, mix beets with 1 tablespoon olive oil as well as salt and pepper to taste.
Cover dish with foil and roast beets until tender for approximately 75 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Peel beets and chop into wedges.
While beets are roasting, prepare pickled red onion. Add sliced red onion, vinegar, water, and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, and drain.
Add balsamic vinegar and mustard to a medium-sized bowl. Slowly add in ¾ cup oil until completely emulsified.
Toss arugula with approximately half the salad dressing and divide among six plates.
Top the salad mix with beets, pickled red onion, gorgonzola, and pistachios and serve!