ENSALADA - ITALIAN STYLE
Alright. You've cooked, or are about to cook one of those easy-to-make meals and now, you want to make a strong finish. What you need is a salad: one that is easy to make, delicious to eat and, best of all, gathers you many compliments. So, let's do it.
INGREDIENTS
1 Head Boston Bibb lettuce
Forget the Iceberg. Yeah, it's cheap, but life's too short to waste it on tasteless stuff. You want to produce a salad that stays in your memory. To do that you will need green stuff that has taste.
1 Head Radicchio
1 Bunch Arugula
1 Carrot, washed and scrapped clean
1 Celery Stalk
1 Handful of Moroccan olives (They're the black wrinkled ones)
The best Balsamic Vinegar you can afford
The Best Olive Oil you can afford
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Snap off a few lettuce fronds. I figure two for each person. Rinse them gently under cold water, then blot them dry with a paper towel.
Grab your fanciest bowl and into it rip nice bite-sized pieces of the lettuce. Do NOT cut the leaves. Rip them. They look more rustic, more natural and, after all, presentation is more than half the game.
Do the same with the Radicchio and the Arugula.
When you're done, you should have a nice mound of salad greens. Now, mix them up. Nicely.
Grab the carrot and - your choice: either cut them into nice thin rounds (not thick, you're not a rabbit) or, using a peeler, shave nice thin strands into the bowl.
Cut the celery into thin slices, angling downward so that you get elongated slivers rather than just straight-cut slices. The point here is you want everything to look good as well as taste good.
Okay. Just about done. Hand mix everything once again and toss in a hefty handful of the olives. Done.
Oh. The salt, pepper, vinegar and oil...... they all get added just before you serve the salad, which, if you're smart, should be after you've finished the main dish. Ensalada is to both enjoy and to clean your palate - as the saying goes, so that whatever dessert you serve, will taste clear and clean.
So. Here's the procedure. First comes the salt. Sprinkle, taste. Sprinkle, taste. When that's to your liking, grind some black pepper over everything. You really don't need to taste here, a nice thin coating will do for all but the most finicky of eaters. Now, the oil. Pour it gently and lightly over everything, then mix the salad and taste. Repeat until the salad is thinly coated and you can actually taste the oil. Now you know why you want to buy the best oil you can afford. Finally, the vinegar. Thick, black Italian vinegar - another one of those, best you can afford items. Use it sparingly. You're looking for a thin coating that just barely attacks your tongue. Just a taste, so that the flavors of the vegetables are enhanced rather than overcome.
There. Done. A great salad to finish off a great meal, all whipped together quickly and easily.
Buon Appetito.
Grab your fanciest bowl and into it rip nice bite-sized pieces of the lettuce. Do NOT cut the leaves. Rip them. They look more rustic, more natural and, after all, presentation is more than half the game.
Do the same with the Radicchio and the Arugula.
When you're done, you should have a nice mound of salad greens. Now, mix them up. Nicely.
Grab the carrot and - your choice: either cut them into nice thin rounds (not thick, you're not a rabbit) or, using a peeler, shave nice thin strands into the bowl.
Cut the celery into thin slices, angling downward so that you get elongated slivers rather than just straight-cut slices. The point here is you want everything to look good as well as taste good.
Okay. Just about done. Hand mix everything once again and toss in a hefty handful of the olives. Done.
Oh. The salt, pepper, vinegar and oil...... they all get added just before you serve the salad, which, if you're smart, should be after you've finished the main dish. Ensalada is to both enjoy and to clean your palate - as the saying goes, so that whatever dessert you serve, will taste clear and clean.
So. Here's the procedure. First comes the salt. Sprinkle, taste. Sprinkle, taste. When that's to your liking, grind some black pepper over everything. You really don't need to taste here, a nice thin coating will do for all but the most finicky of eaters. Now, the oil. Pour it gently and lightly over everything, then mix the salad and taste. Repeat until the salad is thinly coated and you can actually taste the oil. Now you know why you want to buy the best oil you can afford. Finally, the vinegar. Thick, black Italian vinegar - another one of those, best you can afford items. Use it sparingly. You're looking for a thin coating that just barely attacks your tongue. Just a taste, so that the flavors of the vegetables are enhanced rather than overcome.
There. Done. A great salad to finish off a great meal, all whipped together quickly and easily.
Buon Appetito.
