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Arts & Entertainment

Toss Me a Salad

Winter salads do not have to be ho-hum. With a few special touches, serve salads will make your guests wanting more.

Winter salads are often limited to iceberg lettuce and a few sad looking tomato wedges. With a little creativity, you can turn salad into something special even when produce is not at its peak.

Iceberg lettuce and bottled salad dressing are ho-hum at best. Hundreds of varieties of inexpensive salad dressings line the shelves at the local grocery stores, and “premium” salad dressings can be quite costly. But all bottled dressings seem to lack the pizzazz found in a restaurant salad.

I like to make my own simple vinaigrette and add special ingredients to the salad for a boost of flavor. Making salad dressing is simple with two pantry staples, both available at Valenti’s Meat Market & Bakery on Mexico Road or most other local grocery stores.

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Olive oil and balsamic vinegar combined at a one to one ratio is ideal for all salads. I prefer my salad greens on the drier side and find that one teaspoon of each is sufficient for every two cups of greens. Experiment a bit to find the right ratio for your family. A teaspoon of minced garlic or other herbs added to the vinaigrette adds another flavor dimension, but is not necessary if you are adding other ingredients to your salad.

Another key to making a show-stopping salad is to always add croutons after tossing the salad dressing with the greens, or the croutons may soak up most of the vinaigrette.

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Winter Salad

Serves one

  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups mixed greens
  • ¼ cup candied pecans
  • 1 slice fried prosciutto
  • 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan (or other crumbled cheese of choice)
  • 1 tablespoon dried cranberries (or other dried fruit)
  • Homemade croutons for garnish

In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, vinegar and pinch of salt. Layer greens, nuts, prosciutto, cheese and dried fruit in a salad bowl. Toss with vinaigrette. Top with croutons.

Candied Pecans

  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

In a small non-stick frying pan, stir together water, sugar and cayenne over medium heat. Add pecans and stir constantly, about ten minutes until the liquid is gone and the pecans are dry yet glossy. Let pecans cool and dry completely.

Crispy Prosciutto

  • 4 slices prosciutto, cut into 1”x1/2” strips
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

In a small non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and stir constantly, about 5 minutes or until the prosciutto is the crispy and has the color of cooked bacon. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Homemade croutons are easy to make and far superior to pre-packaged croutons found in the salad aisle. We make these whenever we have leftover bread from Valenti’s. Any type of bread works well, including plain Italian bread or cubed focaccia. This is a great way to use up stale bread.

Croutons

  • 2 cups cubed bread, (cut bread into cubes approximately 1”x1”)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder (use only if using unseasoned bread)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean up. Toss together bread cubes, olive oil, salt and garlic powder (if using). Spread the bread cubes on the cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes. Watch closely toward the end of baking to ensure doneness to your liking. Croutons should be crisp and golden when done.

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