Local Asian Mix
THE GREENS
About 1⁄2 cup of each:
tatsoi
mustard greens
komatsuna
Black Summer komatsuna
bok choy
shungiku
pea shoots
GARNISH
roasted peanuts
THE DRESSING
rice wine vinaigrette
Gently toss the greens together and arrange on individual plates. Garnish with peanuts, and drizzle lightly with the vinaigrette just before serving. Another option: Mist with rice wine vinegar only.
Rice wine vinaigrette
1⁄4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
Mix first four ingredients until sugar is dissolved, then whisk in the vegetable oil.
Continental salad
THE GREENS
About 1⁄2 cup of each:
romaine
red oakleaf
escarole
Bibb lettuce
THE DRESSING
sweet Dijon vinaigrette
Gently toss the greens together and
arrange on individual plates. Drizzle with a small amount of dressing just before serving.
Euro salad
THE GREENS
About 1⁄2 cup of each:
arugula
Italian baby dandelion
French sorrel
bianca frisée
Belgian endive
radicchio
GARNISH
thick-sliced bacon
THE DRESSING
sweet Dijon vinaigrette
Gently toss the greens together and arrange on individual plates, garnish with ham bits, and dress lightly just before serving.
Sweet dijon vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
several grinds of pepper
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Whisk first seven ingredients together, and add the oil at the end.
All in the Families
THE GREENS FOUND IN TODAY'S SALADS COME FROM A BOTANICAL MELTING POT.
Lettuce family
CHICORY Curly endive, Belgian endive, escarole and radicchio are raised for their bitter flavors, which are carefully managed by growers to keep intensity in check. Belgian endive, for example, is double-grown, the second time in the dark.
ITALIAN DANDELION Bitter! But that’s a good thing.
RED OAKLEAF LETTUCE Mild, with a peppery kick.
ROMAINE Mild and crunchy, in both green and red varieties.
TANGO LETTUCE A tangy, firm butterhead.
TARRAGON A member of the lettuce family but used most often as an herb, with a club-you-over-your-head anise flavor; use sparingly.
Cabbage family
ARUGULA Peppery and elegant.
BOK CHOY/PAK CHOI One of the milder cabbage family members, bok choy’s stalk is sweet with a little kick; leaves are more mild.
KOMATSUNA Known as Japanese mustard spinach, komatsuna’s flavor is less earthy than traditional spinach.
MUSTARD GREENS Spicy! Loses pungency with braising.
TATSOI Also known as “spoon mustard,” for its spoonlike shape; grows in a dark green, loose rosette.
RADISH SPROUTS Almost too pretty to eat; flavor is a distant echo of the spark they’ll have when full-grown.
Herbs
CHERVIL Small leaves with delicately anise-like flavor.
CILANTRO Flavor is fresh and somewhat soapy
FRENCH SORREL Lemony. Disintegrates readily when heated and makes for a great cream sauce.
PARSLEY Lightly floral with a hint of mint.
SHUNGIKU An edible chrysanthemum—its feathery leaves are pungent and floral.
Other
CHIVES An onion family member whose narrow, straplike leaves taste gently oniony.
PEA SHOOTS The leaves of the pea plant, with a lightly sweet, pea-like flavor.
RUBY SWISS CHARD Actually a member of the beet family; raised for its foliage.
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