Dish of Garden Salad
(click to enlarge)

Garden Salad


France   -   Salade de Jardin
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4-1/4 #
***
1 hr
Yes		 A very fine salad with a good balance of flavors and textures - and it's sturdy enough for buffet service or when it needs to be made ahead.

1-1/4
1
10
14
7
14
1
1
1
1
------
1/3
1/3
1/2
1/4
------
8
#
T
oz
oz
oz
oz
#
t
t
t
---
c
c
t
t
---
oz
Cauliflower
Salt
Onion, red
Cucumbers (1)
Bell Pepper, grn
Bell Pepper, red
Spinach, fresh
Thyme, dry
Marjoram dry
Paprika
--Dressing (2)
Olive Oil (3)
Wine Vinegar (4)
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Bell Pepper, red

Yes, an hour is quite long for making a salad - but you're getting more than 4 pounds of salad, enough for a whole bunch of hungry people.

Make   -   (1 hour)
  1. Break CAULIFLOWER into rather small florets. Trim so there's very little stem. Soak in water with 1 T Salt for 30 minutes. Drain.
  2. Chop ONIONS medium. Quarter CUCUMBERS and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (see Note-1). Dice BELL PEPPERS about 3/8 inch and mix in along with drained Cauliflower.
  3. Crush Herbs and mix in along with Paprika.
  4. Make Dressing: First mix Vinegar with Salt and Pepper. When Salt is dissolved, mix with Olive Oil. Put in a jar and shake vigorously, then tumble with the Salad. Refrigerate.
  5. Float wash SPINACH. Remove all stems and dry in your salad spinner. Cut leaves into pieces between 3/4 and 1 inch on a side or as desired.
  6. Cut Garnish BELL PEPPERS into narrow strips.
  7. When ready to serve, tumble Spinach into the salad. Garnish with strips of Bell Pepper.
NOTES:

  1. Cucumbers:

      If at all possible, use small Persian cucumbers, or similar cukes that don't have to be peeled or seeded. They should be no larger than 1-1/4 inch diameter. If you have only the standard waxed green blimps, use a couple more ounces than given. You'll have to peel and seed them, then cut into 6ths lengthwise before slicing.

  2. Dressing:

      Half and half vinegar and oil is pretty bold, more like California or Spain than France, where more than twice as much oil as vinegar is the norm - but I'm not about to question the Frenchness of Mapie, Countess of Toulouse Lautrec. On the other hand, Toulouse is down in the Occitania region near Spain and Provençe where such a ratio would be normal. Personally, I never use more oil than vinegar, but then I'm not a French gourmet.

  3. Olive Oil:

      I use a flavorful Extra Virgin oil, though the French tend to like a milder oil. Remember, quality counts.

  4. Wine Vinegar:

      Either red or white can be used, though I prefer red. Again, quality counts. I use a flavorful Italian wine vinegar.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
fgv_garden1 130217 cdf560   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.