Sensational Salad Recipes [antikvár]

Salads & Dressings Supermarkets and greengrocers today are filled with interesting salad ingredients. This basic guide wül help you to identify and select lettuces and other greens and show you how to combine the various oils and vinegars to make delicious dressings. Salad Basics: Greens Buy lettuces with good bright colour and no wilted, yellowing or dried-out leaves. Avoid those with tough, thick stems, inseet damage or broken or tom leaves. Crisp-head lettuces such as iceberg should feel firm when squeezed, and the base should be dry. Freshness is very important with lettuces because vitamin losses begin soon after picking. Storage The high water content of lettuces makes them very perishable. Ideally, buy greens as near as possible to the time you will use them. As a generál rule, the softer the lettuce leaf, the sooner it should be used. Properly stored, a crisp iceberg or cos lettuce can last seven days, but a soft butterhead only two to I three days. Wash lettuces thoroughly to remove grit and insects and dry completely before storing. Use a salad spinnei; cotton tea towel or paper towels to dry the leaves, patting gently to avoid bruising. Pack leaves loosely in plastic bags. Squeeze air out of the bag, seal tightly and place in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Oi; loosely wrap a whole unwashed lettuce in a damp teatowel and store in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Preparation Tear lettuce leaves from the stem and into smaller pieces using your hands rather than a knife. Cut the core from large lettuces. To separate the leaves easily, hold the lettuce head upside down under running water. Dry well before use because wet leaves will dilute the dressing and reduce crispness. Varieties: Butter lettua - loosehead, light gre-v. lettuce, with round soú leaves and a butter) fiavour. Coral lettuce: green and red varieties. Tighdy curled, crisp leaves, mild sweet flavour. Cos lettuce (Romaine): large, long green heads, with crisp, succulent and sweet leaves. High vitamin levels. Curly endive (frisée): pale green, slender and friÚy leaves. Mild bittér flavour English spinach: loaded with vitamins and irón. Rich flavour. Tear off stalks. Wash well to remove sand. Endive (witlof, widoof): the young chicory plánt. Whitish, yellow-edged crunchy leaves with a bittér flavoun Iceberg lettuce: Large crisp leaves with a sweet, watery flavour. Good keeping qualities. Mignonette lettuce: red and green leaves, with a mild, sweet flavour. Oak leaf lettuce: red and green varieties. Loosehead lettuce with long variegated leaves. Radicchio: tight head with dark red leaves and very bittér taste. Rockét (arugula): tender dark green leaves with a peanutty taste; small leaves are milder. Snow Pea Sprouts: a new addition to the salad