When it's way too hot to turn on the oven or stove we turn to cooling foods or foods that require very little cooking time. A cool and crisp salad served with a crusty lightly grilled bread and a glass of fruity white wine is the answer to what's for dinner on summer's hot days.
Summer is also the perfect time to whip up a salad as your main meal. Some of the freshest local produce is now coming into markets and there's no limit on the combinations that you can toss together.
Also ideal is that most vegetables used in salads need little or no cooking. But if you do want to cook them to make them a bit tender, a quick blanch is all they need. Vegetables like green beans, snap peas or asparagus need only a brief dip in a boiling water bath. You can do the same with vegetables like zucchini or summer squash or you can grill them.
When putting together main dish salads, use a variety of greens for color, presentation and, well, because they are good for you. Dark leafy greens are chock-full of nutrients and antioxidants. Before using, rinse the greens well in cold water and dry them well. A salad spinner works best to dry greens. Plan on at least 2 cups packed greens per serving for a main dish salad.
It's best to build your salad in layers, starting with the greens on the bottom and finishing with the main ingredients on top.
To dress the greens, use a good-quality fruity olive oil as the base. For the vinegar, my preference is to use white wine vinegar.
I never pour the vinaigrette directly on the greens. I always drizzle it the Bobby Flay way. But first, it's best to season the greens with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Why? According to Flay in a Bon Appetit magazine interview years ago, it's pretty simple: They need it.
When you're ready to add the vinaigrette, do so just before you're ready to serve so the greens don't soak in it. Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette along the inner perimeter (closest to the sides) of the salad bowl. Starting from the sides and using salad tongs, draw the greens (and other ingredients) to the center, tossing lightly.
You don't want to drench the greens and other ingredients so they look limp. Keep in mind soft greens, light Bibb lettuces and radicchio, need less dressing.
Today's recipe is just super. It brings together nectarines, fennel and asparagus on a bed of greens. You can also load it up with any vegetables you like. The cooking portion is only in grilling the nectarines and asparagus. You could also grill the fennel, just cut the pieces bigger so they don't fall through the grill grates.
.png?w=600)
