Dressing salads for summer is not to be taken lightly. While appetites decrease as the temperature rises, the need for nutritious fare is nonetheless important. A good deal of the “right stuff” may be incorporated into side salads or more complex main-course composed salads, but it takes an enticing dressing to stimulate the jaded palate.
The rules are simple for preparing a lower-cal (not low-cal) dressing that is good and good for you. First, leave the mayonnaise in the refrigerator and cut back on both the oil in the dressing and the dressing on each portion. (Salad dressing should coat the ingredients, never drown them.) Second, seek out vegetables and fruits at the height of ripeness and employ intensely flavored herbs, spices and condiments such as sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies and olives. For variety, substitute citrus or fruit juice for vinegar and occasionally add a sprinkle of sugar.
The first three recipes that follow are for lettuce and vegetable salads. The fourth is a topping for grilled chicken or fish. To keep the salad motif, the chicken or fish may be served on a bed of greens.
The summer salad with cucumber/onion dressing is adapted from a recipe used at Ben Benson’s Steak House in New York City.
SUMMER SALAD WITH FRESH CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
Four servings
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced ginger root
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 bulb fennel
1 orange
1 cup medjool dates
1 bunch red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1. Combine citrus juices with minced ginger. Pour into a jar, cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Strain out ginger and whisk in honey, mustard, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Set dressing aside.
2. Cook asparagus in boiling salted water until tender. Pat dry and chill. Cut fennel into paper-thin slices. Peel the orange and separate into segments. Cut the dates into thin strips.
3. Dress vegetables and orange segments in half the vinaigrette. Separately, toss lettuce with remaining vinaigrette. Divide lettuce among four plates. Arrange vegetables, oranges and date strips over the lettuce and serve.
Alternate salad ingredient suggestions: broiled chicken breast strips, julienned jicama, thinly sliced red onion, mesclun greens.
ONION-FETA SAUCE FOR ICEBERG LETTUCE
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped giardiniera (marinated hot pepper mix) or more to taste
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika, hot Hungarian preferred
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt, sheeps’ milk preferred
1 head chilled iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup diced feta cheese, for garnish
1. In a small bowl, combine the onion, garlic, hot pepper mix, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and stir well. Set aside until ready to serve.
2. Remove any tired outside leaves and the core from the lettuce. Cut into four wedges.
3. Place a wedge on four chilled plates. Top each wedge with 2 tablespoons sauce and scatter diced feta on each plate. Serve at once.
SUMMER SALAD WITH CUCUMBER/ONION DRESSING
Four servings
For the dressing:
1 medium-size English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small white onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
4 sprigs fresh dill
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup salad oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
6 ounces French green beans, trimmed
3 tomatoes (2 red and 1 yellow if possible), skin on, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
Optional:
8 spears jumbo asparagus, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 pieces canned hearts of palm, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
4 anchovy fillets
1. To make the dressing, combine the cucumber, onion, vinegar, dill, sugar, salad oil, salt and pepper. Set aside or refrigerate up to 24 hours.
2. Cook the beans in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain, pat dry and cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine green beans, tomatoes, lettuce and optional asparagus and hearts of palm. Add dressing and toss.
4. Serve on four chilled plates, garnishing each with an optional anchovy.
TOMATO-GARLIC CREAM
Makes about 1/3 cup
5 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon minced sun-dried tomato in oil, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons sun-dried tomato oil
3 tablespoons creme fraiche or light sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. Wrap garlic in foil and bake until soft, about 15 minutes. Squeeze pulp from each clove into a small bowl or mortar.
2. Add minced tomato and oil. Mash to combine ingredients.
3. Beat in creme fraiche, lemon juice and pepper.
4. Dollop 1 to 2 tablespoons onto hot broiled or grilled fish or chicken.
