The hot, smoggy and humid October's
weather could be a real lethargic factor for some people. Nothing beats
the frenzy of spending a relaxed evening preparing cool salad for early
dinner. Eating the same thing day in, day out can be quite drudging to
say the least. Not to mention the lost tie running in and out of the
kitchen to see if the pasta is perfectly al dente or not. Cooking does
not have to be a monotonous activity.
Salads contain all the vitamins,
minerals, enzymes, trace nutrients and invigorating bitterness that your
body needs. Another attribute is a delightful sequence of differently
flavored bites: chewing through the plate becomes a thrilling sensory
experience. One mouthful may be mainly onion, the next biting, crunching
radish, then hot sage or cool corn salad. The rich mélange of leaf
colors, sizes and textures is reflected in the flavors.
Salads are food, not just leaves to
decorate the roasted chicken. Salads can be spoilt if you put too much
dressing on it. The dressing's role is to highlight not to overpower the
salad ingredients. Salads aid digestion, provide fiber and diversity in
both taste and texture. There is a large range of interesting salad
leaves and herbs no offer - as well as sorrel, mint or round lettuce -
you can now find Japanese mizuna and Italian rucola. Allow your
imagination to run wild with endless possibilities of main course
salads.
When out for grocery
shopping, wilted salads or those with brown stems should be rejected. A
salad must look vibrant and free of any brown spots or cracks. Remember
that all lettuces and salad leaves should be eaten as fresh as possible,
no longer than 48 hours after their date of purchase. The best way to
store lettuces is to remove the root, but otherwise leave them whole and
enclose them in a polythene bag in the lowest part of the refrigerator.
Washing should be avoided as once the leaves are wet it is difficult to
dry them again and you simply cannot get dressing on to wet salad
leaves. Alternatively, use a damp piece of kitchen paper and wipe each
leaf - this way the leaves remain dry and can easily be coated with
dressing.
If you insist on
washing your salad leaves, plunge them briefly into cold water and place
them in a salad basket. You could either hang them up after a good
shaking or else swing the basket round and round outdoors. Finish off by
drying the leaves carefully with kitchen paper.
Salads need not have to be oozing in
fat and and calories to be delicious. Basic oil-and-vinegar mixture can
create tasty and healthy dressing for any salad. Yes, you have heard of
the benefits of a Spanish, Greek or Italian diet. It is widely agreed
that olive oil plays a part in helping to reduce cholesterol and blood
pressure. Extra virgin olive oil is one of the few oils that do not
require chemical processing. It retains more natural minerals, vitamins
and antioxidants, and is therefore much better, than other oils such as
animal fats.
If you like to make
your own flavored oils, gently heat a quantity of olive oil and add
chopped chives or basil. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and leave
to cool. Blend using a food processor then strain through a fine mesh
sieve and store for 3-4 days in a corked bottle to let the flavors
develop. For spicy chili oil, gently heat olive oil, several finely
chopped fresh chilies, a bay leaf and an unpeeled garlic clove. Let cool
then strain through a fine mesh sieve and store in a bottle.