Salad days Now that summer is knocking at our door, it time to talk
about salad. My hope today is to open your eyes to the wider world of salad possibilities.
At one end of the spectrum, salads may be nothing more than
a humble, but delicious, little side dish. At the other end, it could be the
unabashed star of your next party.
Before we begin, however, a brief comment about lettuce.
Lettuce-or greens of any type-can be a key ingredient in a great salad. But
some of the best salads in the world contain no lettuce at all. An example-and
one of my favourites-is a mix of tomato, mango, basil leaves and balsamic
glaze. Another one of my favourites is Panzenella salad, a dish using
garden-fresh tomatoes and golden brown crisped cubes of bread.
Salad can contain any number of ingredients. Some are made
from pastas or grains while others are centred on vegetables or fruit. Salads
can also contain meat or seafood and can be prepared to be tangy, sweet or even
spicy.
Among my favourites are those that combine traditional cold
ingredients such as lettuce and vegetables with warm ingredients such as thinly
sliced duck, chicken or beef. This allows variations in not only temperature,
but also in texture (think crispy BBQ chicken on a bed of crunchy greens) and taste.
Speaking of BBQ, a few grilled vegetables will add spark to
just about any salad. Or what about a simple fennel, parsley, lemon juice and
parmesan cheese topping on a freshly grilled salmon filet?
Want to learn more? Why not sign up for our cooking class on
April 30 when we will be making-and eating!-shrimps wrapped with prosciutto in
a melon salad, goat cheese fritter and arugula salad and Indonesian Karedok
salad with peanut dressing. Call us at 613-845-1090 or email us at chefmarc@cuisinepassion.ca to book
your spot or visit the website today at www.cuisinepassion.ca.
Amitiée gourmande
Chef Marc
