Salad & Me

My experience with salad began as a chore, as in "Claire, will you make a salad, please?" It was my nightly contribution to dinner...iceberg lettuce, sliced carrots, cucumber, and celery dressed in Catalina. I even got a salad shooter for Christmas one year.

Tricia and I spent the summer of '98 in Italy, and we ate on a budget. At dinner, she chose the insalata mista (the Italian solution for salad-loving American tourists). I opted for wine and pasta instead.

When Lee and I were dating, we spent many Sunday evenings having dinner with his parents. Offering to help in the kitchen, I usually ended up making the salad. Instead of one bowl for the whole table, I began to make each person an individual salad...tomatoes on everyone's plate but Lee's and no celery for me, thanks. It was around this time that my taste for salad began to evolve. My mom had shared a delicious pear, toasted almond, bacon, and feta cheese on red-tipped lettuce with me. I was in love at first bite and naturally wanted to share it with Lee's family. They liked it. Linda started clipping recipes for various combos of fruit, nuts, and cheese on greens. The guys would happily eat whatever concoction we put in front of them as long as it was served alongside some grilled meat.

All these years later, I find myself eating at least one large salad a day. I prefer some combo of fruit (pears, apples, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, or raisins), nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, or sunflower seeds) and cheese (Parmesan, cheddar, or feta) on dark leafy greens. Lee loves nothing more than the traditional romaine and chopped vegetables in his bowl.

Oddly enough, the salad that inspired this post was simple and lacked the fruit and nuts that I usually use. It was made with Artisan lettuce called "Tuscan Combo"...a head of deep purple frilly leaves and one of dark green. The lettuce was tender and sweet, perfect with a chopped tomato and sliced cucumber dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.