During the salad days — those fleeting but glorious weeks between late spring and mid-summer — lettuce is at its peak of quality and abundance. Packaged salad blends notwithstanding, truly great green salads start with having your pick of the produce market.
When selecting salad greens, look for crisp, clean fresh-looking leaves that are free of bruised areas or brown spots.
At home, store the greens, unwashed, in a plastic bag or lidded container in the refrigerator crisper if they won’t be served within a few hours.
To prepare salad greens for use, remove and discard any damaged or yellowing leaves. Separate the leaves from the core and wash the leaves under running water or in several changes of cold water in a basin.
To clean grit from loose-headed lettuces and spinach, remove the core (if any), dunk the small bunches of the leaves up and down in a large basin of very cold water. Leave them in the water for a minute or two to allow loose leaves to float to the top and the grit to sink to the bottom. Lift the leaves from the basin water; then rinse under running water or in a fresh basin of cold water until there is no trace of grit.
After washing salad greens, drain them well in a colander, salad spinner or cloth lettuce bag; blot gently with paper towels to remove any remaining moisture. Leave the greens whole. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel, lettuce bag or paper towels and place in a large plastic bag. Refrigerate the greens until crisp and dry.
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A wealth of choices
Here are just a few of the varieties found in most supermarkets and farmers markets:
*Romaine, or cos, lettuce forms loaf-shaped heads of long, narrow, rather dark green leaves. This dependably crisp lettuce is the traditional choice for Caesar salad.
*Butter, or Boston lettuce, has smallish, rounded heads of butter-soft, medium-green leaves and tender ribs. Bibb and limestone, close relatives of the butterheads, have unusually delicate texture and flavor. In classic French dining, a salad of butter lettuce dressed with a little oil and vinegar typically follows the main course.
*Leaf lettuces include a number of loose, ruffled varieties that never develop heads. In a salad bowl, red oakleaf and other variegated lettuces contrast with romaine.
*Endive encompasses a large family of lettuces whose assertive flavors run from mildly snappy to sharply bitter. Curly endive (frisee or chicory) has attractive curled or feathery leaves and a pleasant, faintly bitter taste. Escarole, a broad, flat-leafed endive with long, dark green leaves, has a more distinctive bite.
*Mesclun — the darling of farmers markets — and similar salad mixes are composed of very young leaves of lettuce, arugula, radicchio, mustard, chard, beet, mizuna, tatsoi, and herbs.
Lettuce salad with balsamic dressing
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A special ingredient in this dressing — the fragrant, aged balsamic vinegar — enlivens a simple mix of romaine, endive and radicchio.
1 small head each, torn into pieces: romaine, curly endive
2 or 3 small radicchio leaves, torn into pieces
1 radish, very thinly sliced, optional
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan or Greek kasseri cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Arrange lettuces and radicchio in a salad bowl; add radish slices. Set aside. Whisk together the vinegar, garlic and salt in a small bowl; gradually beat in the oil, whisking until well blended. Lightly toss salad with dressing and cheese. Add pepper to taste.
Nutrition information per serving:
167 calories, 81% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 196 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
