What better way to serve a variety of fruits, vegetables, even meats—than in a colorful salad? As an appetizer, a side dish, a dessert, or the main course of your meal, a salad brings lots of goodness to your table. Salads can be light or hearty, depending on the ingredients you choose.
Summertime salads often feature a medley of fresh fruits. Tossed green salads are year-round favorites. Salads made from eggs and potatoes, from seafoods, and from meats and cheeses also deserve a place in your meal planning.
Selecting top-quality fruits and vegetables is a good start toward a good salad. Fresh food has eye and taste appeal.
Give salad foods the best care to avoid damage and to keep them fresh. If you prepare salad ingredients ahead of time, store them, without dressing, in the refrigerator.
If you plan to use unpeeled fruits or vegetables in a salad, choose those with smooth, tender, colorful skins.
See page 12 for other pointers on selecting fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll find suggestions for storing them on page 14.
Chill ingredients before you mix your salad.
For tossed green salads, tear greens into fairly large pieces. This will give your salad more body.
Always thoroughly drain the greens you use in salads.
Vary your salad greens. Try chicory, escarole, endive, kale, spinach, dandelion greens, romaine, watercress, and chinese cabbage.
Some salad fruits are likely to turn dark on standing; dip these in a little citrus juice.
Drain canned fruits and vegetables before you add them to a salad.
Main-dish salads made with meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, cheese, or potatoes usually call for a mayonnaise-type dressing, but some are good with french or italian dressing (p. 53).
On vegetable salads and vegetable-fruit combinations, try french, italian, thousand island, or Roquefort or blue cheese dressing (p. 53). Fruit salads taste best with sweet dressings—sweet french, orange-honey, or celery seed dressing ([p. 53]).
Prevent sogginess and wilting by using just enough salad dressing to moisten ingredients. Add dressing to raw vegetable salads at the last minute unless your recipe calls for marinated vegetables.
Some salad combinations are traditional—lettuce and sliced tomatoes, canned peaches and cottage cheese. You can make a variety of salads by sometimes contrasting flavors and textures, sometimes complementing them.
Ingredients that go well together in salads are suggested below.
6 servings
• Pare and section 2 grapefruit and 3 oranges. For each salad arrange grapefruit and orange sections on a lettuce leaf; garnish with a maraschino cherry half.
• Lightly mix 1½ cups each of cantaloup, honeydew, and watermelon balls or cubes. Serve on crisp salad greens. Allow about ⅔ cup fruit per serving.
• Drain 1 can (13½ ounces) pineapple tidbits; combine with 3 oranges, pared and sectioned, and 1 banana, sliced. Place on crisp salad greens and sprinkle with ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Allow about ½ cup fruit per serving.
• Lightly mix 2 cups cantaloup cubes; ½ cup fresh blueberries; and 1 large banana, sliced. Serve on crisp salad greens; allow about ½ cup fruit per salad.
• Combine 4 peaches, peeled and sliced; ½ cup halved seedless grapes; ½ cup halved, seeded Tokay grapes; and 1 large banana, sliced. Serve on crisp salad greens; allow about ⅔ cup fruit per serving.
6 servings
• Lightly toss together ½ pound young spinach leaves, torn in bite-size pieces; 2 green onions, thinly sliced; and 4 crisp bacon strips, crumbled. Garnish with 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped.
• Lightly toss together 2 carrots, thinly sliced; ½ head raw cauliflower, thinly sliced; ½ head lettuce, torn in bite-size pieces; ¼ cup chopped green pepper; and 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges.
• Cook, drain, and chill 1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables; lightly toss together with ½ head lettuce, torn in bite-size pieces.
6 servings
Asparagus spear salad.—Hard cook 2 eggs; chill. Drain 1 can (1 pound) asparagus spears and marinate overnight in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p. 53). For each salad arrange asparagus spears on a lettuce leaf, top with a strip of canned pimiento, and sprinkle with chopped hard-cooked egg.
Cucumber and onion salad.—Score 2 cucumbers with a fork; pare first, if desired. Slice thinly. Slice ½ medium onion and separate it into rings. Marinate cucumber and onion slices 3 to 4 hours in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p. 53). Serve garnished with tomato wedges.
Green bean salad.—Drain 1 can (1 pound) cut green beans and 1 can (8 ounces) cut wax beans. Thinly slice 1 small onion and separate into rings. Toss beans and onion rings with ½ cup chopped sweet red or green pepper. Marinate overnight in ½ cup sweet french dressing (p. 53).
Three-bean salad.—Drain 8-ounce cans of green beans, wax beans, and kidney beans; continue as directed for green bean salad.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese
1 tablespoon sirup from canned mandarin oranges
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange sections, drained
1 can (13½ ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
⅓ cup halved, drained maraschino cherries
Lettuce
Beat cream cheese with liquid from mandarin oranges until creamy. Add oranges, pineapple, and marshmallows; combine gently but thoroughly. Lightly fold in cherries. Chill. Serve in lettuce cups.
Variation
Frozen fruit salad.—Blend ¼ cup mayonnaise with cream cheese and liquid before adding the fruits. Whip 1 envelope of dessert topping mix as directed on package label. Fold whipped topping and cherries into the fruit mixture. Pour into a 1½-quart mold and freeze overnight. Dip in warm water to unmold.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) lemon-flavored gelatin
1 cup shredded raw carrots
1 can (10½ ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
¼ cup raisins
Lettuce
Mayonnaise
Prepare gelatin according to package directions, using pineapple sirup as part of the liquid. Chill until mixture is slightly thickened.
Fold in carrots, pineapple, and raisins; pour into a 1-quart mold. Chill until firm. Serve on lettuce; top with mayonnaise if desired.
6 servings
1 package (3 ounces) lemon-flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
½ cup cold water
½ cup salad dressing
2 tablespoons vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
Pepper, as desired
½ cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon grated onion
2 cups chopped cooked meat
Salad greens
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add cold water, salad dressing, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Beat until smooth. Chill until slightly thickened.
Whip until fluffy. Fold in celery, parsley, onion, and meat. Pour into a 1-quart mold. Chill until firm.
Unmold on salad greens.
Variations
Souffle poultry salad.—Use 2 cups chopped cooked poultry as the meat.
Souffle fish salad.—Use 2 cups flaked canned or cooked fish as the meat.
Menu suggestion
Serve with broiled tomatoes, asparagus, and have apple pie with cheese for dessert.
6 servings
½ cup creamed cottage cheese
1 to 2 tablespoons milk, if needed
1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange rind, as desired
¼ cup chopped peanuts
¼ teaspoon salt (if peanuts are unsalted)
18 chilled, pitted, cooked prunes
Salad greens
If cottage cheese is dry, soften it with milk. Mix in orange rind, 3 tablespoons peanuts, and salt; stuff into prunes.
Arrange prunes on salad greens and sprinkle with rest of peanuts.
6 main-dish salads
2 medium heads lettuce
8 radishes, thinly sliced
4 green onions, with tops, thinly sliced
3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
3 cups cooked ham (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups coarsely shredded Swiss cheese
Croutons (p. 56)
Salad dressing
Wash and drain lettuce. Reserve outer lettuce leaves; tear remaining lettuce into bite-size pieces. Combine torn lettuce, radishes, and green onions; toss lightly.
Line 6 individual salad bowls with lettuce leaves. For each salad, use 2 cups lettuce mixture and top with 4 tomato wedges, ½ cup ham cubes, and ⅓ cup shredded cheese. Top with croutons. Serve with dressing of your choice.
Menu suggestion
Serve with garlic bread and have quick cherry cobbler for dessert.
6 servings
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard
White pepper, as desired
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
¼ cup table cream
3 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
½ cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except vegetables.
Combine vegetables; mix well. Gently stir in the dressing. Chill before serving.
6 servings
½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
¾ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
6 medium-size boiled potatoes, diced
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Combine ingredients except potatoes and eggs; mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over potatoes and mix gently. Add chopped eggs. Chill several hours before serving.
Variation
Pea salad.—Use 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, cooked and drained, or 1 can (1 pound) peas, drained, in place of potatoes. Reduce salt to 1 teaspoon. Add 1 cup process Cheddar cheese cubes.
About 1 cup
⅔ cup salad oil
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dry mustard
White pepper, as desired
Thoroughly mix all ingredients. Chill. Shake well just before serving.
Variations
Sweet french dressing.—Increase vinegar to 2 tablespoons and add ¼ cup sugar.
Italian dressing.—Use ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Add ¼ cup finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup catsup, and ½ teaspoon oregano. Refrigerate, covered, overnight to blend flavors. Strain to remove onion and garlic before serving. About 1½ cups.
About 1 cup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 package (4 ounces) Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons half-and-half or table cream
½ teaspoon tabasco sauce
Mix all ingredients.
Refrigerate until used.
About 1¼ cups
¼ cup orange juice frozen concentrate
1 tablespoon vinegar
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup salad oil
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except salad oil.
Add the oil slowly while beating constantly with rotary or electric beater.
Refrigerate until used.
About 1 cup
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
⅔ cup salad oil
Thoroughly mix all ingredients except salad oil.
Add the oil slowly while beating constantly with rotary or electric beater.
Refrigerate until used.
About 2 cups
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
Mix all ingredients except the egg. Gently mix in the chopped egg.
Refrigerate until used.