Spring greens

Fresh-tossed salads add flavor, style

The art of the tossed green salad is slipping away.

There are many reasons why the little salad ceremony is passing from the American scene. And that’s too bad, because the art of vigorous salad tossing perhaps in a big stylish bowl on a special cart rolled to the side of the table lends style and drama to a meal and great taste to the greens.

Think outside the iceberg-and-ranch-dressing box and get creative when preparing a tossed salad. One savory idea is this Spinach Salad With Mango And Candied Pecans (recipe, page 2D).

Unfortunately, the continental concept of serving a crisp little salad as a palate cleanser after the main course was trashed by American restaurants to stall customers until their entrees could be delivered from the kitchen.

Restaurateurs selected salad as the proverbial “bone” to toss their hungry, clamorous dining-room crowds, so Americans are now accustomed to salads served first.

More recently, salad greens have been reduced to mere “beds” for grilled meats, seafood or breaded chicken “fingers.” These entree salads are lumped into the category of “casual dining” choices.

Again, there’s no tossing going on, no distribution of great flavors, no creativity. Maybe now is the time to go continental and put on a salad ceremony for an appreciative audience.

You’ll need tools for tossing like mad for one, a roomy salad bowl, perhaps a wooden one you can rub with a cut garlic clove on the interior. Then find cruets for oil and vinegar, a pepper grinder, maybe another grinder for tasty sea salt.

Clementine Paddleford, an esteemed New York food writer who taught about food and cooking more than a half-century ago, once wrote about “fatiguing the lettuce.”

According to that long-ago article by Clementine, this is the proper way to toss: Put torn salad greens into a “large bowl, being sure the lettuces are washed well and quite dry. If there’s time to crisp and chill the dried greens in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, so much the better.”

Add any herbs from the garden: chives, basil leaves, thyme, mint, lemon balm or others you like.

Lightly drizzle the greens with the chosen salad oil, then toss madly for a fine film of the oil to be distributed over the greens. This is the “fatiguing the lettuce” part. It prepares the lettuce to receive vinegar or fresh lemon juice next, without wilting.

Grandly grind your chosen salt and pepper over the top of the greens and toss again. Taste and readjust the acidity (sourness) and seasoning. Toss again, but gently, adding grated cheese or other salad condiments.

The recipes at left offer more green-salad flavor combinations. Use them as a guide only. The salad ceremony is all about creativity.

Mediterranean Vegetable Salad4 lemon cucumbers or pickling cukes2 mild yellow banana or Anaheim peppers, seeded, thinly sliced1 medium yellow or red bell pepper1 medium red or white onion8 ounces tomatoes, preferably plum2 to 3 cups coarsely torn smooth spinach leavessorrel (tart) or rocket (peppery), optional1 1/2 cups stale French bread, cubed1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves2 tablespoons fresh oregano or marjoram leaves2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed1/3 cup olive oil2 sundried tomato halves, finely chopped1/4 cup balsamic vinegarsea salt, to tastefreshly ground pepper, to taste12 kalamata olives, pitted, cut in pieces1/4 cup crumbled feta cheeseIf not using specialty cukes with thin, tender peels, partially peel a regular cucumber from the supermarket because the skin will be waxed. Leave a few very thin lengthwise strips of dark green peel intact. Cut cucumbers lengthwise, scoop out and discard seedy portion. Cut crosswise into crescents.Add mild chile peppers and small chunks of the bell pepper and onion to refrigerator container. Halve tomatoes and shake out seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks and add to the cucumber mixture; cover container and refrigerate.Meanwhile, wash and dry spinach leaves and any other greens you’re using; chill until ready to toss the salad. Prepare French bread cubes.Place rosemary, oregano and garlic in the olive oil and set aside to steep for several hours. Add dried tomato pieces to the vinegar and let stand the same period of time.Remove vegetables from refrigerator and let warm to room temperature. Place vegetables in a very large salad bowl. Add spinach, bread pieces and toss with as much of the olive oil mixture as desired. Add the sundried tomato pieces and as much of the vinegar as desired. Grind pepper over all and taste; sprinkle with sea salt or use a salt grinder. Taste again and adjust. Garnish the top of the salad with kalamata olive pieces and crumbled feta and serve immediately.Makes 4 servings.

Red And Orange Root Salad3 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced2 garlic cloves, smashed2 spirals of orange peel1/3 cup water, chicken or vegetable broth2 medium beets, cooked, peeled, sliced thin1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon peanut oilsaltfreshly ground peppersmall Bibb lettuce leavesred-edged leaf lettuce, torntiny beet leaves from top of the root or another slightly bitter greencross-cut Belgian endive (1 head), optional4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonalPlace the carrots, garlic and orange peels with broth or water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the carrots are slightly tenderized, not cooked through, about 4 minutes. Drain, discarding the garlic and orange peels. Chill carrots.Meanwhile, slice all but an inch or so of the tops from beets. Save the tiniest, tastiest beet greens for salad. (The rest of the greens may be cooked for stock or soup.)Simmer the unpeeled beets with some of the tops intact so they don’t bleed into the water so much. Carefully drain when beets are cooked through and slip off skins while still warm. Wear rubber gloves and an old apron to prevent staining from beets. Halve beets and thinly slice. If you don’t want to stain a wooden cutting board, protect it with plastic wrap or paper towels.When ready to serve, combine the carrots, beets, vinegar and peanut oil in a bowl and gently toss to coat and mix. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss again.Make a bed of the Bibb, red-edged lettuce, beet leaves and endive, if using, on a serving platter. Spoon on the root mixture. Sprinkle with green onion slices and serve.Variation: Make carrot ribbons instead of coins. Shave each carrot with a vegetable peeler to make thin strips like fettucine. Cook in same flavored broth, but very briefly so carrots are not cooked through. Remove from heat and let carrots steep in broth and absorb flavors. Proceed with recipe.Makes 4 servings.

Spinach Salad With Mango And Candied Pecansnonstick vegetable spray1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar6 tablespoons olive oil, divided use3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided use1 cup pecan halves1 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves1 large mango, peeled, pitted, cut into thin wedgesSpray sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Stir sugar, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat until sugar melts and syrup bubbles, about 3 minutes. Mix in pecans. Stir until nuts are toasted and syrup coats nuts evenly, about 7 minutes. Using fork, separate nuts and cool completely on the foil. Coating will harden as nuts cool.Combine spinach, mango and cooled pecans in large bowl. Whisk remaining 5 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of vinegar in small bowl to blend. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat.Makes 4 servings.

Green Salad With Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil2 tablespoons fresh cranberries1 1/2 teaspoons prepared Dijon-style mustard1/4 teaspoon minced garlic1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper1 tablespoon water1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted1/4 red onion, thinly sliced2 ounces crumbled blue cheese1/2 pound mixed salad greensIn a blender or food processor, combine the vinegar, oil, cranberries, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and water and process until smooth.In a large bowl, toss the almonds, onion, cheese and greens with the dressing until evenly coated.Makes 4 servings.

Grilled Steak Salad5 cloves garlic, minced3 tablespoons olive oil, divided use2 boneless beef top loin steaks, cut 1-inch thick (about 8 ounces each)6 shallots, thinly sliced1 tablespoon sugarsalt5 cups torn, mixed field greens1 cup sliced mushroomsmedium red bell pepper, roasted, cut into strips1 medium yellow bell pepper, roasted, cut into strips1/2 cup balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons olive oil3 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheesesalt and pepperCombine garlic and 2 tablespoons of the oil; brush over steaks. Place steaks in food-safe plastic bag. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes to 2 hours.Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add shallots and cook about 10 minutes until shallots begin to brown, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with sugar and cook until shallots are glazed and caramelized, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.Grill steak to desired doneness. Carve steaks into slices. Season with salt, as desired.In large bowl, combine salad greens, mushrooms, roasted peppers and caramelized shallots; toss gently.Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil and Gorgonzola; add salt and pepper, as desired. Drizzle over salad. Top with grilled steak slices.Note: If desired, substitute 1 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers or red and yellow peppers, well-drained, for fresh bell peppers.Makes 4 servings.