Salads and Salad Dressings
What better way to serve a variety of fruits, vegetables, even meats—than in a colorful salad? As an appetizer, a side dish, a dessert, or the main course of your meal, a salad brings lots of goodness to your table. Salads can be light or hearty, depending on the ingredients you choose.
Summertime salads often feature a medley of fresh fruits. Tossed green salads are year-round favorites. Salads made from eggs and potatoes, from seafoods, and from meats and cheeses also deserve a place in your meal planning.
Selecting top-quality fruits and vegetables is a good start toward a good salad. Fresh food has eye and taste appeal.
Give salad foods the best care to avoid damage and to keep them fresh. If you prepare salad ingredients ahead of time, store them, without dressing, in the refrigerator.
If you plan to use unpeeled fruits or vegetables in a salad, choose those with smooth, tender, colorful skins.
See page12for other pointers on selecting fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll find suggestions for storing them on page14.
Chill ingredients before you mix your salad.
For tossed green salads, tear greens into fairly large pieces. This will give your salad more body.
Always thoroughly drain the greens you use in salads.
Vary your salad greens. Try chicory, escarole, endive, kale, spinach, dandelion greens, romaine, watercress, and chinese cabbage.
Some salad fruits are likely to turn dark on standing; dip these in a little citrus juice.
Drain canned fruits and vegetables before you add them to a salad.
Main-dish salads made with meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, cheese, or potatoes usually call for a mayonnaise-type dressing, but some are good with french or italian dressing (p.53).
On vegetable salads and vegetable-fruit combinations, try french, italian, thousand island, or Roquefort or blue cheese dressing (p.53). Fruit salads taste best with sweet dressings—sweet french, orange-honey, or celery seed dressing ([p.53]).
Prevent sogginess and wilting by using just enough salad dressing to moisten ingredients. Add dressing to raw vegetable salads at the last minute unless your recipe calls for marinated vegetables.
Some salad combinations are traditional—lettuce and sliced tomatoes, canned peaches and cottage cheese. You can make a variety of salads by sometimes contrastingflavors and textures, sometimes complementing them.
Ingredients that go well together in salads are suggested below.
6 servings
• Pare and section 2 grapefruit and 3 oranges. For each salad arrange grapefruit and orange sections on a lettuce leaf; garnish with a maraschino cherry half.
• Lightly mix 1½ cups each of cantaloup, honeydew, and watermelon balls or cubes. Serve on crisp salad greens. Allow about ⅔ cup fruit per serving.
• Drain 1 can (13½ ounces) pineapple tidbits; combine with 3 oranges, pared and sectioned, and 1 banana, sliced. Place on crisp salad greens and sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Allow about ½ cup fruit per serving.
• Lightly mix 2 cups cantaloup cubes; ½ cup fresh blueberries; and 1 large banana, sliced. Serve on crisp salad greens; allow about ½ cup fruit per salad.
• Combine 4 peaches, peeled and sliced; ½ cup halved seedless grapes; ½ cup halved, seeded Tokay grapes; and 1 large banana, sliced. Serve on crisp salad greens; allow about ⅔ cup fruit per serving.
6 servings
• Lightly toss together ½ pound young spinach leaves, torn in bite-size pieces; 2 green onions, thinly sliced; and 4 crisp bacon strips, crumbled. Garnish with 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped.
• Lightly toss together 2 carrots, thinly sliced; ½ head raw cauliflower, thinly sliced; ½ head lettuce, torn in bite-size pieces; ¼ cup chopped green pepper; and 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges.
• Cook, drain, and chill 1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables; lightly toss together with ½ head lettuce, torn in bite-size pieces.
6 servings
Asparagus spear salad.—Hard cook 2 eggs; chill. Drain 1 can (1 pound) asparagus spears and marinate overnight in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p.53). For each salad arrange asparagus spears on a lettuce leaf, top with a strip of canned pimiento, and sprinkle with chopped hard-cooked egg.
Cucumber and onion salad.—Score 2 cucumbers with a fork; pare first, if desired. Slice thinly. Slice ½ medium onion and separate it into rings. Marinate cucumber and onion slices 3 to 4 hours in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p.53). Serve garnished with tomato wedges.
Green bean salad.—Drain 1 can (1 pound) cut green beans and 1 can (8 ounces) cut wax beans. Thinly slice 1 small onion and separate into rings. Toss beans and onion rings with ½ cup chopped sweet red or green pepper. Marinate overnight in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p.53).
Three-bean salad.—Drain 8-ounce cans of green beans, wax beans, and kidney beans; continue as directed for green bean salad.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese1 tablespoon sirup from canned mandarin oranges1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange sections, drained1 can (13½ ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained1 cup miniature marshmallows⅓ cup halved, drained maraschino cherriesLettuce
Beat cream cheese with liquid from mandarin oranges until creamy. Add oranges, pineapple, and marshmallows; combine gently but thoroughly. Lightly fold in cherries. Chill. Serve in lettuce cups.
Variation
Frozen fruit salad.—Blend ¼ cup mayonnaise with cream cheese and liquid before adding the fruits. Whip 1 envelope of dessert topping mix as directed on package label. Fold whipped topping and cherries into the fruit mixture. Pour into a 1½-quart mold and freeze overnight. Dip in warm water to unmold.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) lemon-flavored gelatin1 cup shredded raw carrots1 can (10½ ounces) crushed pineapple, drained¼ cup raisinsLettuceMayonnaise
Prepare gelatin according to package directions, using pineapple sirup as part of the liquid. Chill until mixture is slightly thickened.
Fold in carrots, pineapple, and raisins; pour into a 1-quart mold. Chill until firm. Serve on lettuce; top with mayonnaise if desired.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) lemon-flavored gelatin1 cup boiling water½ cup cold water½ cup salad dressing2 tablespoons vinegar¼ teaspoon saltPepper, as desired½ cup chopped celery1 tablespoon chopped parsley1 tablespoon grated onion2 cups chopped cooked meatSalad greens
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water, salad dressing, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Beat until smooth. Chill until slightly thickened.
Whip until fluffy. Fold in celery, parsley, onion, and meat. Pour into a 1-quart mold. Chill until firm.
Unmold on salad greens.
Variations
Souffle poultry salad.—Use 2 cups chopped cooked poultry as the meat.
Souffle fish salad.—Use 2 cups flaked canned or cooked fish as the meat.
Menu suggestion
Serve with broiled tomatoes, asparagus, and have apple pie with cheese for dessert.
6 servings
½ cup creamed cottage cheese1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if needed1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange rind, as desired¼ cup chopped peanuts¼ teaspoon salt (if peanuts are unsalted)18 chilled, pitted, cooked prunesSalad greens
If cottage cheese is dry, soften it with milk. Mix in orange rind, 3 tablespoons peanuts, and salt; stuff into prunes.
Arrange prunes on salad greens and sprinkle with rest of peanuts.
6 main-dish salads
2 medium heads lettuce8 radishes, thinly sliced4 green onions, with tops, thinly sliced3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each3 cups cooked ham (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes2 cups coarsely shredded Swiss cheeseCroutons (p.56)Salad dressing
Wash and drain lettuce. Reserve outer lettuce leaves; tear remaining lettuce into bite-size pieces. Combine torn lettuce, radishes, and green onions; toss lightly.
Line 6 individual salad bowls with lettuce leaves. For each salad, use 2 cups lettuce mixture and top with 4 tomato wedges, ½ cup ham cubes, and ⅓ cup shredded cheese. Top with croutons. Serve with dressing of your choice.
Menu suggestion
Serve with garlic bread and have quick cherry cobbler for dessert.
6 servings
1½ teaspoons salt½ teaspoon dry mustardWhite pepper, as desired¼ cup sugar2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar¼ cup table cream3 cups coarsely shredded cabbage¼ cup finely chopped green pepper1 tablespoon chopped pimiento½ cup finely chopped celery2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except vegetables.
Combine vegetables; mix well. Gently stir in the dressing. Chill before serving.
6 servings
½ cup mayonnaise1 teaspoon dry mustard2½ teaspoons salt2 tablespoons finely chopped onion2 tablespoons chopped green pepper¾ cup finely chopped celery¼ cup sweet pickle relish1 tablespoon chopped pimiento6 medium-size boiled potatoes, diced3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Combine ingredients except potatoes and eggs; mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over potatoes and mix gently. Add chopped eggs. Chill several hours before serving.
Variation
Pea salad.—Use 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, cooked and drained, or 1 can (1 pound) peas, drained, in place of potatoes. Reduce salt to 1 teaspoon. Add 1 cup process Cheddar cheese cubes.
About 1 cup
⅔ cup salad oil1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar2 tablespoons lemon juice1½ teaspoons salt½ teaspoon paprika½ teaspoon dry mustardWhite pepper, as desired
Thoroughly mix all ingredients. Chill. Shake well just before serving.
Variations
Sweet french dressing.—Increase vinegar to 2 tablespoons and add ¼ cup sugar.
Italian dressing.—Use ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Add ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup catsup, and ½ teaspoon oregano. Refrigerate, covered, overnight to blend flavors. Strain to remove onion and garlic before serving. About 1½ cups.
About 1 cup
1 cup mayonnaise1 package (4 ounces) Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled2 tablespoons half-and-half or table cream½ teaspoon tabasco sauce
Mix all ingredients.
Refrigerate until used.
About 1¼ cups
¼ cup orange juice frozen concentrate1 tablespoon vinegar¼ cup honey½ teaspoon dry mustard½ teaspoon salt⅔ cup salad oil
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except salad oil.
Add the oil slowly while beating constantly with rotary or electric beater.
Refrigerate until used.
About 1 cup
⅓ cup sugar2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar1½ teaspoons salt½ teaspoon paprika½ teaspoon dry mustard1 teaspoon celery seed⅔ cup salad oil
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except salad oil.
Add the oil slowly while beating constantly with rotary or electric beater.
Refrigerate until used.
About 2 cups
1 cup mayonnaise¼ cup sweet pickle relish2 tablespoons chili sauce1 tablespoon chopped green pepper1 tablespoon finely chopped onion1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
Mix all ingredients except the egg. Gently mix in the chopped egg.
Refrigerate until used.