From THE GARDEN OF EATING
GOT GREEN?
DON'T FORGET TO SWISH!!!
An Excerpt from the "THE GARDEN OF EATING ~ A Produce Dominated Diet and Cookbook" By Phoenix Chef, Rachel Albert~Matesz and Don Matesz
Go to www.TheGardenofEatingDiet.com to order the book! You will love it.
Clean Those Greens!
Nothing spoils a salad faster than grit. If you inadvertently neglect thorough cleaning, you'll put a bad taste in everyone's mouth. A quick run under the faucet is not enough. Discard any wilted or shaggy outer leaves. Separate leaves and place in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water. Swish for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove leaves one at a time so dirt and grit remain in the water. Repeat with fresh water until water is clear or no traces of sand remain in the bottom of bowl or sink. Spinach, arugula, and parsley may require 3 or 4 washes. Carefully inspect every leaf for grit. If dirt remains, rinse each leaf individually under cold running water.
Dry 'em You'll Like 'em
If you don't dry salad greens thoroughly, they will spoil prematurely and the salad dressing will slide off and puddle in the bottom of the bowl., leaving the flavor behind.
A salad spinner is the best tool for this job. Don't overfill it or it won't work properly and you'll bruise the leaves. Fill the spinner 1/2 to 2/3 full with lettuce. (if you overfill it it won't spin) If desired, spritz lettuce with diluted grapefruit seed extract or food grade hydrogen peroxide to disinfect, then rinse again before you spin dry. If your spinner retains water, remove the salad basket and dump out the water. A salad spinner doubles as storage unit and allows air to circulate. It prolongs shelf life of salad greens and eliminates the need for plastic bags. If you need to wash more greens than will fit in your spinner, gently stuff clean, dry greens in a cotton or linen drawstring bag of arrange on a clean white or unbleached cotton linen towel, roll up and store in an open bowl in the fridge.
Tear with Care
Salad greens are easily bruised. Leave young, tender, baby greens whole. Tear or gently cut mature leaf lettuces into bite size pieces, Romaine and other firm lettuces should be sliced or torn as close to serving time as possible to avoid bruising and discoloration,. Firmer vegetables (radishes, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions and parsley) may be cut to last longer. Chopped celery should be used within 24 to 48 hours it gets funky fast. Ditto for jicama.
Dressing for Success
When hosting a gathering, serve dressing on the side. Each person can dress his or her salad to taste. This also ensures that the leftover salad will look good the next day. If serving a rich vinaigrette, toss the entire salad with dressing to take a little bit of oil go a long way. Do this just before serving, adding dressing a little at a time to coat each leaf without drowning it. Tossed salads need to be dressed moments before serving so they don't wilt and lose their appeal; parboiled salads are sturdy enough to be tossed with vinaigrette, then chilled until serving time if you want the dressing to permeate and marinate the vegetables.
Written By Chef Rachel Albert Matesz, co-author of "The Garden of Eating" cookbook. Order the book at www.TheGardenofEatingDiet.com.
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