I’m always fascinated with how produce relates to its season. In the winter all the root vegetables are tasty and hearty but dull to the eye, in need of love and attention and heat. In the summer, however, everything is bright and crisp, independant. So it’s no surprise that salads are a summer treat; who would want to ruin all that colour and freshness by throwing it into a pot? I take salad making really seriously and, over the years, I’ve come up with a successful calculation for the perfect salad that I’d like to share with you.
The most important thing about a really good salad is balance. Since everything gets tossed together it’s important not to clutter your salad with too many ingredients; it confuses the taste buds and the brain. Excluding lettuce and dressing, a salad should have no more than four additional items. Furthermore, these items should have certain properties to enhance the enjoyment of your salad. The general equation is as follows: salty + sweet + soft + crunchy = mmm. Below I’ve compiled a list of ingredients that work well in a salad, in their respective categories.
Salty: cheese, cured meat, marinated meat
Sweet: orchard fruit, berries, dried fruit, bell peppers, peas, onions, corn
Soft: cheese, berries, dried fruit, tomatoes, roasted peppers, mushrooms, beans
Crunchy: nuts, croutons, egg noodles, root vegetables, orchard fruit, raw pepper, peas, zucchini, cucumber, radish
Note that some ingredients exist in multiple lists. This is an indication that these ingredients should be utilized, as they will complement almost any other ingredient. It also gives you the freedom to combine items from the same list. For example, you can add a cured meat and cheese to a salad because cheese also exists in the soft category. You can add berries because berries also exists in the sweet category. The thing you want to avoid is adding two things from the same category that don’t exist in another: nuts and croutons, berries and dried fruit, two meats, two cheeses. Together these flavours will conflict and ruin the perfect salad experience.
Dressing is the final important element to a delicious salad, and it also has an equation: oil + vinegar + (unique flavour combination) = mmm. While the calculation looks simple, the possibilities are endless. There are countless oils and vinegars that will enhance your salad. Soy oil makes a great local substitute for olive oil. It’s light, inoffensive to the palate, and has a wonderful orange tone. And there are many great locally produced vinegars in all styles. The trick is to determine which element of your salad you want to highlight. If your salad is salty with lots of crisp fresh vegetables, a classic savoury dressing is in order: two parts Ontario canola or soy oil + one part balsamic vinegar + (a spoonful of dijon mustard + fresh chopped herbs to taste + a dash of cream). Alternately, if fresh summer berries are the star of your salad consider a fruit flavoured vinegar (raspberry, blueberry). Or say you’ve added some lovely roasted pecans to your salad, be adventurous and include the truly Canadian flavour of maple to your dressing, in the form of vinegar or syrup. With salad dressing it’s all about experimentation.
And don’t be afraid to think outside the bowl. While lettuce is classic in a salad it doesn’t necessarily have to be present. Salads can consist of new potatoes, roasted beets, even dried beans or grains like barley. These substitutes can really beef up a salad. Consider using citrus fruit in lieu of vinegar. Likewise, there are alternatives to olive oil. Bacon fat is a brilliant oil replacement, and really adds volume to a fresh salad. To make a warm bacon dressing all you do is dice a couple strips of bacon, sauté until crisp, and to the pan pour a splash of any vinegar. Let the vinegar reduce for a few seconds and then drizzle over your prepared salad. This method is sure to impress anyone you’re cooking for.
Once you master these two salad equations, I guarantee you’ll be enjoying salad all summer. Whether for a light lunch, a dinner feature, or a late night snack, salad is ultimately the easiest thing to throw together with whatever you can find in the fridge. Below I’ve compiled some of my favourite salad recipes, but feel free to explore your own combinations. Great things come from an impromptu culinary adventure.
My favourite salads (for two):
Cherry and Cheddar Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing: One head of lettuce, washed and torn + Half a cup of crumbled sharp cheddar + A handful of dried cherries + Half a yellow summer squash,thinly sliced + A warm dressing of: Two strips of bacon, diced and fried + Half a diced shallot and one eighth a cup of blueberry vinegar, added right at the end before drizzling it over the salad
Sweet and Savoury Steak Salad: One head of lettuce, washed and torn + A quarter cup of blue cheese, crumbled + Half an apple, sliced + Half a red onion, sliced + Grilled flank steak, sliced + A dressing of: One teaspoon of dijon mustard + Three tablespoons of raspberry vinegar + One eighth a cup of soy oil + Salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Beet Salad with Mint: Six beets, quartered, roasted, and peeled + A quarter cup of goats cheese, crumbled + A handful of pecans + A handful of fresh mint leaves roughly torn + A dressing of: The juice of one lemon + Three tablespoons of honey + One eighth a cup of soy oil + Salt and pepper to taste