I wanted to do this diary earlier in the summer but my schedule was too unsettled to commit to a diary. But there will still be a month or to of warm/hot weather, so here it is, better late than never.
A couple years ago, I did a diary on summer drinks, where I stated that there is something about summer weather that lends itself perfectly to various tasty beverages. The same is true for salads. How often do we make potato salad in the winter, for instance. And no, I won’t be doing potato salad tonight—if everyone here doesn’t already have their own favorite potato salad recipe, I’ll eat a big plate of stuffed zucchini…. and I hate stuffed zucchini! (apologies to those who enjoy it; childhood trauma….) I am similarly willing to wager the most/all of us have a favorite recipe for pasta/macaroni salad, and possibly one for taco salad (or similar) as well.
Instead, I present to you tonight, for your gastronomical enjoyment, three salads that I have picked up here and there in my journey through life, all of which are intended more as a meal in themselves, rather than as sides. Warning—all of these take a little bit of prep work in advance, but nothing onerous; you just need to decide that you’re going to make one of these salad, so you need to make sure to cook some chicken or hard-boil some eggs or whatever, ahead of time. Those ingredients are in boldface for your convenience.
First up is chicken prosciutto salad.
CHICKEN PROSCIUTTO SALAD
2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
3 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt (or 1/8 t, or none)
10 ounces lettuce
1/3 c Asiago, grated
6 ounces cooked chicken, shredded
Croutons
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add a bit of olive oil; cook prosciutto until crisp; pat dry on paper towels. (It should cool enough while you construct the rest of the salad.)
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, salt; place lettuce, chicken, prosciutto, cheese, and dressing in bowl; toss well to coat; add croutons.
NOTES: Parmesan or similar works just as well as Asiago. I often use a small jar with a lid to shake up dressing in. Pancetta or bacon (preferably not thick-cut) can be used instead of prosciutto. I also added tomatoes to this one last time I made it, although it’s not in the title pic. Finally, I like to bake the chicken with some olive oil and herbs, for extra flavor.
Next up, Caesar tortellini salad. My mom really enjoys this one; she made it just the other day, in fact.
CAESAR TORTELLINI SALAD
1/2-pound package of refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
head of lettuce
handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 small bunch broccoli, separated into florets
crisp garlic croutons
crumbled up bacon (optional)
grated Parmesan
Caesar dressing
coarsely ground black pepper
Cook tortellini as directed; rinse with cold water and drain. Steam the broccoli and let cool. (These can be done at the same time.) Cut up lettuce and place in bowl. Add tortellini, red onion, cherry tomatoes, broccoli. Top with garlic croutons, bacon, cheese. Toss with Caesar dressing; grind some pepper over top.
NOTES: I’m presenting the recipe as I learned it, but my personal preference is for creamy Caesar, which I also prefer to add afterward, rather than tossing with.
Finally, one of my favorites—a recipe I cribbed from my trip to Paris a few years back. I was only there two nights (quick consulting trip for the UN, other commitments precluded staying longer) and ate at the same place both nights—Restaurant L’Oustal, so no surprise on the name of this one….
SALADE L’OUSTAL
Lettuce
Tomato(es)
Hard-boiled eggs
Swiss cheese slices, cut into strips
Serrano ham, cut into strips
Roasted potatoes with herbs (bite-size)
NOTES: No quantities on this one; use your best judgment. If it helps, I used 1 egg per serving, and 1 large tomato and 2 medium potatoes for 3 servings. Best way to do the potatoes is to cut them up bite-size, toss them with olive oil and fresh/dried herbs of your choice, then bake them at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes. Not sure what kind of dressing the restaurant used (the waiter claimed not to speak English); white balsamic works, but I prefer creamy Caesar. I’m not a fan of green goddess, but I get the sense it might work. Serrano ham is a bit pricy, so prosciutto or bacon (again, not thick-cut) will work. Also, nothing says you can’t use a different kind of cheese if you prefer (I’m not a big fan of Swiss, but I do use it in this), but probably something closely related would be best.
I made all of these within the past couple weeks, and for each one, I served some sort of bread with the salad. I’m sure you have your own favorites, but I went with French bread, naan, and lavash. And strawberry lemonade to go with!
Bon appétit!
