Dressed for the killer salad





In today's health obsessed world, a healthy salad is a must. Whether it is purely green, or vegetable, or maybe, fruit, fish, meat or even molded, salads are enjoyed the world over. It is one of the most versatile dining elements to prepare which requires imagination and aesthetic creativity. Salads are served in various forms - appetizer, a side dish, sometimes, the main dish, or it could be the final touch to a meal. Salad preparations are often the most open to culinary flexibility, experimentation and culinary design.

Ingredients and garnish will require a separate food or cooking post, so I shall leave that and focus instead on the dressing. Because what would a salad be without its dressing?

Salads are capped with dressings. Be it French classic which minimally dictates a blend of oil, pepper and salt; or continental which incorporates a variation of lime, lemon, shallots, onions, capers, herbs, garlic, anchovies, hard cooked eggs, , mustard, cayenne and Asian which combines sesame oil, fish sauce, lemon grass, ginger, soy sauce and other spiced condiments reflective of Southeast Asian cooking. The permutations are limitless.

So what would it be?

Classic or creamy French dressing, or perhaps, Italian, or why not sour cream or tartar sauce? Try wine vinaigrette, thousand island, Roquefort cheese dressing or just plain old quick home made or commercial based mayonnaise dressing?

Me, I want them all.

Dressing elements not mentioned above may include:

1. aromatic bitters
2. oil most often olive
3. wine vinegar
4. sour cream
5. pickle or pickle relish
6. sugar
7. garlic powder, garlic salt
8. cider vinegar
9. olives
10. most herbs
11. most spices
12. yogurt
13. sophisticated cheeses
14. white wine
15. fruits in season and its fruit juices
16. whipped cream
17. melted butter (on occasion)
18. gelatine
19. egg yolks
20. buttermilk
21. chili sauce
22. bacon
23. cinnamon
24. wine vinegar
25. tofu
26. croutons
27. sesame seeds
28. tabasco
29. goat's milk cheese
30. shrimp paste (Filipino)

Popular posts from this blog

Tora Bika Cappuccino

My daughter sent us this superb tasting ready to prepare cappuccino mix. Made in Indonesia, it comes in two separate packs: (1)the coffee mix and (2)a much smaller sachet which contains the chocolate granules. Judging from the Italian flag type packaging I surmise the choco granules originated from Italy. I tried to experiment to test how the mix could achieve a superior flavor. For my initial test, I used 1 cup of boiling hot water per packmix and then added the chocolate granules. Ooooh! It was too sweet. The next time, I used 1 large mug of boiling hot water plus the chocolate granules. Surprise! I got the perfect blend. Unlike other coffee flavors, even those dispensed by large coffee shops, Tora Bika tastes good even when it is cold. Ingredients: Sugar, creamer, instant coffee, chocolate granules
Read more

MSG in most coffee blends?

I got this from my email: The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as "Natural Flavouring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and other brand-name coffee shops! I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America. In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creat
Read more

Pininyahang Manok cooked Marikina style

This is a Marikina concocted dish which I borrowed. Ingredients: 1 whole fresh chicken fryer, cut into small serving pieces or use chicken breasts for a more delicate taste 1 cup 7-Up soda (for marinating chicken pieces) salt and white pepper for seasoning 3 tbsps vegetable oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1 medium size white onion, finely chopped 1 small fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks or use 1 small can pineapple in chunks, drained and reserved juice on the side 1/2 cup of heavy cream or evaporated milk Preparation 1. Put chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pour over the 7-Up soda on the chicken and mix slowly. Cover the bowl and let marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 2. In a small casserole, heat the oil in a medium heat without burning, add and sauté the onions until soft, then add the garlic. 3. Drain the chicken pieces from the marinade and add to the casserole with the onions and garlic. Fry the chicken pieces in a medium heat until cook (for about 25 minutes),
Read more