It’s probably none too likely that 2010 will be remembered above all or by any of us as the dawning of a brave new salad age.
But then, with more new uniquely dressed, oddball toss-‘em-togethers popping up here, there and seemingly everywhere suddenly, you never really know.
A recent request for a certain salad, one built of greens, fruit and an unusual dressing, for instance, brings this response from Camano Island cook Celia Hartley.
“This may be the salad recipe Carol and Tom Curtis are looking for. I clipped it from a Costco magazine toward the end of the year. I think it is the dressing that makes this salad.”
Celia also mentions, “I have always used cranberries instead of the pomegranate seeds.’’
A second funky newcomer to today’s Forum salad scene features spinach, macadamia nuts, berries and kiwis.
Considering that particular lineup of ingredients, it’s no big surprise that the dressing also stands out as interestingly different. Both the salad and its dressing appear in “trim&Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites’’ by Holly Clegg.
Baby mixed greens with apple pear, pecans and feta
3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2tablespoons red wine vinegar
2tablespoons orange juice
3tablespoons pecan halves, finely chopped
2tablespoons honey
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
6cups loosely packed baby mixed greens
1apple pear, halved, cored and sliced into thin wedges
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
1/3 cup feta cheese
To prepare the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, orange juice, pecans, honey and salt and pepper to taste in a salad bowl. Mix until well blended. Add the greens and toss to coat with the dressing. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Top with the apple pear slices. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries and feta.
Makes 4 servings.
Raspberry spinach salad
3tablespoons raspberry wine vinegar
3tablespoons raspberry jam
1/4 cup canola oil
8cups fresh spinach, washed, stemmed, torn into pieces
1/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1cup fresh raspberries or strawberries
3kiwis, peeled and sliced
For the dressing, whisk the vinegar and jam in a small bowl or blend in a food processor or blender. Add the oil in a thin stream, blending well; set aside.
In a suitable bowl, carefully and gently toss together the spinach leaves, nuts, raspberries or strawberries, kiwis and dressing. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics pages.
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