Crunchy iceberg salads were the star at every family dinner of my childhood. My mom had this magical way of grasping that head of lettuce in two hands and bumping the stem end on the counter with gentle force, then twisting the core and removing it with Excalibur finesse.
She ran it under the sink to rinse the whole head, then propped it onto the right size Pyrex cup to let the water run out, then into the fridge to chill and crisp while she made our nightly feast.
I made the dressing. She simply called this formula "salad dressing," not vinaigrette. If we requested one of the tempting bottles of dressing from the store with their little bits of garlic and things suspended in the mixture, the answer was always, "check the label." Mom did not adore the long ingredient lists, which usually concluded with some type of preservative.
The salads in my kitchen today bear little resemblance to the beloved bowl of iceberg.
Once mom figured out the minimal nutrient content of that crunchy favorite, we moved on to emerald green romaine and beyond, raising the bar to maximize the nutrition punch. I love a bed of vivid greens with added hues of purple and red leaf lettuce that accent a big bowl. The dressing remains a constant.
Meal prep now includes sweet potato "croutons" which I shower on my salads like confetti. Toasted spiced pumpkin seeds are roasted and ready to top all things or eat out of hand. Pickled red onions add to the rainbow and provide tangy zip. Poached chicken and shrimp pump up the protein and make any salad a balanced meal.
When I recently thumbed through one of mom's treasured cookbooks, I teared up seeing that adored "recipe" from so long ago, penned in her unmistakable handwriting: "Salad Dressing: 3 T vinegar; 1 T Dijon;1 clove garlic, pressed; 1/2 cup oil, S & P."
I make it on repeat, sometimes à la minute, in a large jar or in the old school Good Seasons salad dressing carafe. I have upped the vinegar to increase the pucker factor.
Back in the day, there was no salad spinner. Today, it gets a workout, so I am always ready to cure my salad fix. The salad is also the perfect entry point for getting kids to join the kitchen fun. Tear the lettuce, peel the carrots, shake the dressing, and grind the pepper. Happy cooking!
Salad Dressing
I would call this "Mom's Salad Dressing," but it is not unique to her. There are countless variations. This one is a comforting classic. Vary to your whim, adding fresh herbs or a few drops of honey.
1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed or scraped with a fine grater
1/4 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine the garlic with the vinegar in a pint-size Mason jar or covered container of your choice. Swirl to blend, then add the mustar. Swirl again. Add the olive oil in a stream and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and shake well.
2. Refrigerate up to a week and make on repeat. Remove from the refrigerator while you assemble your salad to loosen up the olive oil, which will congeal when it is cold. Shake well and drizzle on your awaiting greens.
Spiced Sweet Potato Croutons
You can give a single sweet potato the crouton treatment, or make a bunch to keep on hand for the week's meals. Scale the recipe up as desired.
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and diced (my precise mother would say 3/8 inches -- you do you)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning (I use a less salt/more spice variety)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 425. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sweet potato dice onto the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the seasoning and a good amount of pepper and toss again. Spread into a single layer.
2. Roast on the middle rack in the oven until golden and tender, about 20 minutes, turning once at 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days.
Pickled Red Onions
So simple and a festive addition to almost anything.
1 large or 2 small red onions, halved, peeled, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1. Place the sliced onion into a wide-mouth pint Mason jar. They will be packed in with some just above the rim.
2. Combine the vinegar, water, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan to dissolve the salt, then pour the hot liquid carefully over the onions in the jar. Use a fork to gently press the onion slices to compress them in the jar. When almost cool, cover with the lid and rotate the jar to submerge the onions. Remove the lid and let cool completely before covering again and refrigerating up to a week.
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas, out of the shell)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each Cajun or Creole seasoning (I use a less salt/more spice variety), smoked paprika and garlic powder
1. Heat the oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pumpkin seeds on the prepared pan and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle evenly with the seasonings and toss again. Spread out into a single layer and roast in the oven until golden brown, tossing at 5 minutes, for about 10 minutes. Their aroma will signal they are done.
2. Let cool in a single layer on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container.