For many people salads are something that we throw together without a great deal of thought. We throw together some lettuce or spring mix, maybe add some tomatoes and red onions and call it done. We then slather it with our favorite store-bought dressing. We eat it at the beginning of meals or maybe as a meal if we are currently worshipping the gods of weight loss.
With just a little bit of thought and not very much effort, salads can be taken from blah to sublime.
Several months ago, I wrote a series of columns on sauces. We discussed that by mastering the five mother sauces, with minor additions, we can make hundreds of sauces. Who would have thought that in the culinary world there are five types of salads, and if you understand the principles of each, you can make thousands of variations?
In a formal commercial kitchen structure, the chef responsible for cold dishes, including salads, is the chef garde manger. If salads are important enough to have their own chef, we should treat salads with a little more respect.
As a home garde manger, you learn that the five types of salads are:
Tossed salads — As the name suggests, these salads are tossed together (think Caesar salad, green salads).
Composed salads — These salads are skillfully built and beautifully presented (Cobb Salad, for example).
Bound salad — These salads are bound together in a mass, usually with mayonnaise or a mayonnaise derivative (examples are tuna salad, chicken salad).
Fruit salads — These salads have fruit — no surprise there — but they often have the addition of dairy and sweetness (fruit cocktails and ambrosias fall into this category).
Farinaceous salads — These are salads made with starches like root vegetables, grains and pastas (potato salad, pasta salads and farro salad are examples).
As you can see, the ingredients available to make salads cover the entire spectrum of the culinary pantry.
By definition, a salad is not a salad without some type of dressing. Sure, you can buy salad dressings but why when they taste so much better when you make them and are so easy to make. In the main, there are three types of salad dressings.
Vinaigrette dressings — These are deceptively simple, but they do not have to be boring. Sure, you can combine one-part vinegar to three-parts oil, add a little salt and pepper and you are in the ballpark. But I encourage you to experiment with different ratios of oil and vinegar.
Experiment with different types of oils. For a neutral flavor try grapeseed oil. For a salad with nuts, try a nut oil like walnut oil. Olive oil is an all-time favorite oil. Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with age. I encourage you to buy the best, freshest olive oil you can find and buy it in small quantities. The difference in taste between fresh artisanal olive oil and the popular brands is life-altering. Experiment with replacing some or all the vinegar with an acidic juice like citrus. Blood oranges, lemons, limes, even grapefruits, can make delicious vinaigrettes. You might also throw in some chopped fresh herbs.
Emulsified vinaigrette dressings — If you don’t want your dressing to separate, you need an emulsifier. An emulsion is simply a blend of two liquids that normally do not bind together, like oil and vinegar. The classic French emulsifier is Dijon mustard, but you can try any number of ingredients to make your dressing creamy. Egg yolks, mayonnaise and tomato paste are great emulsifiers. I will say that raw tomato paste does not taste great. If, however, you sauté tomato paste in a little of the oil that you are using for your dressing, the taste and depth of flavor is amazing. You might also try agave nectar as an emulsifier.
Mayonnaise/dairy dressings — These are your classic creamy dressings, like avocado cream, and blue cheese dressings. In addition to the old standbys of mayonnaise, cream, and sour cream, try crème fraiche, or Mexican crema. The subtlety of flavor these ingredients provide will surprise you.
Regardless of the type, great salads all have a balance of flavors. Strive for a balance of umami, salt, oil, crunch, and acid. Whatever ingredients you choose, if you can balance these five components you will have a great salad. Seems easy, and it is.
Cookbooks are a good way to get your creative juices flowing. Here are a few that you might want to check out: “Salad for Dinner,” by Patricia Wells, “Salads: Beyond the Bowl” by Mindy Fox and “Thrive Foods” by Brendan Brazier.
I have included recipes for two of my favorite salads: my favorite Caprese salad and a favorite hearty farro salad.
November 04, 2020 at 04:00AM
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Dennis Patillo: Five types of salad provide thousands of options - Victoria Advocate
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