A large bowl of good soup makes a satisfying light lunch or supper and a small serving of it provides the fust course for a hearty lunch or for a dinner. In either case, a salad is an excellent choice for another course, There are innumerable combinations of greens, of greens and cooked vegetables, and of greens, cooked vegetables, julienne of cooked meat and poultry, and hard-cooked eggs. Certainly no salad need be dull. But the greens must be properly prepared, the dressing must be piquant, and everything, both ingredients and serving dishes, should be as cold as possible.
When you shop for salad greens, select only those that are fresh and crisp looking. You can't bring back to wilted greens their original freshness. In addition to the usual Boston and iceberg lettuces, look for Bibb lettuce, romaine, chicory, escarole, endive, and water cress, and, in season, for very young dandelions and field salad. Don't cut the head; separate from it as many leaves as you need and wash them well in cold water. (Boston lettuce particularly is a bad actor when it comes to sand hidden in the crevices.) Dry the leaves thoroughly. Dressing will not cling to wet leaves, bur will slip off and form a watery pool in the bottom of the bowl. Put the washed leaves in a colander and shake out as much water as possible. Then tear the leaves into whatever size is indicated, put them in a wire salad basket or a kitchen towel, and shake off the water. They can be shaken with less spattering in a towel, and are less apt to be bruised. Wrap the leaves in a dry towel and put them in the refrigerator until serving time.
Tossed salads demand a French dressing: the French call this vinaigrette sauce. Vinaigrette sauce is a mixture of oil, acid, and seasonings. But the oil must be of high quality; most people prefer good olive oil. The acid may be any kind of vinegar, cider, malt, or wine, or it may be an herb-flavored vinegar or lemon juice. The important thing is that the acid must never overpower the oil. The old rule says, “Be a miser with vinegar and a spendthrift with oil.” If you like a sharper dressing, don't increase the proportion of vinegar, but add a little mustard to the sauce, A pepper mill is an indispensable accessory to salad making; the flavor of freshly ground peppercorns is considerably richer and more intense than that of ready-ground pepper.
And a final precaution: toss the greens with the dressing at the last possible moment. Use just enough dressing to coat the leaves; more is wasteful and unattractive. If the salad is allowed to stand, it will wilt. If you want to cut or trim the greens, use a silver knife. Steel knives cause the cut edges to darken quickly. And finally, serve the salad cold, from a cold bowl, on chilled plates.
Vinaigrette Sauce
Mix together ½ teaspoon salt, a little freshly ground pepper, and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Add 3 to A tablespoons good salad oil and mix all together well. This is enough to dress a salad for 3 persons. For a sharper dressing, add a little dry or prepared mustard.
Vinaigrette with Herbs
Add to vinaigrette dressing 1 teaspoon mixed finely chopped parsley, tarragon, chervil, and chives.
Tossed Green Salad à la Française
Select salad greens in season. Wash, drain, and dry them thoroughly, and chill them. Rub the inside of a chilled wooden salad bowl well with a piece of cut garlic and put the greens in the bowl. Add vinaigrette sauce and toss the leaves with a large fork an d spoon until all are coated with the dressing.
Chiffonade Salad
Add to mixed greens prepared for salad celery cut in julienne, quartered tomatoes, chopped hard-cooked egg, water cress, chopped beets, and chopped chives, all to 'taste. Toss well with vinaigrette sauce at the table.
Chef's Salad
Fill a chilled salad bowl one-quarter full with shredded lettuce. On this arrange equal amounts of uniform julienne of boiled chicken, smoked ox tongue, smoked ham, and Swiss cheese. Garnish with ½ hard cooked egg for each serving and with water cress. Serve vinaigrette sauce separately and toss the salad at the table.
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