_The Art Of Salad: Know Your Greens...And Reds And Whites


Serves: 5

Ingredients

Directions:

HEAD LETTUCES make the best salad base. Use mature or baby greens. For mature heads, look for vibrant color and firm structure. Separate the leaves, rinse them under cold water, roll loosely in damp paper towels, and refrigerate in a plastic bag until you're ready to use them. They'll stay crisp and fresh for several days. Baby greens come in individual leaves store in a plastic bag and use within 2 days. Rinse in cold water just before using.

* Red Or Green Leaf: Both have ruffled leaves. Red leaf is more tender and frail eat within a few days.

* Romaine: The king of crisp, in green or red, with long, strong spears. Chop or tear into bite-sized pieces for salad, or slice the head lengthwise through the root end and grill. What, lettuce on the grill? Sure! A minute on the grill can add a slightly nutty taste to very firm greens. Lightly brush romaine spears with a vinaigrette, shake off the excess, and place over Direct Medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to wilt and warm them, turning once halfway through grilling time. Add to a sandwich or garnish with grated cheese for a side dish.

* Butter Lettuce (a.k.a. Boston or Bibb): This tender, pale green sweetie has a buttery texture. Leaves pale to yellow-green near the center. Their cuplike shape is also great for garnishes and for wrapping around chicken salads and egg rolls.

* Spinach: Iron-rich comes in bunches. Rinse well to get the sand out and snap off stems about 1 inch from the leaf. Also great sautéed with garlic in olive oil just to wilting.

SPECIALTY GREENS, harvested as individual leaves, are sometimes difficult to find. Include as accents to take your salad to a higher level. Eat within a couple days of purchase rinse just before using.

* Arugula: A treasure to perk up any salad or sandwich. Also called rocket, this peppery number is best eaten right away.

* Red Oak: This fluttery leaf is sweet, soft, and downright flirtatious. Great for color.

* Dandelion Leaves: That's right, the same guys you try to kill in your lawn make great salad pals. But don't harvest your own these sweet specimens are specially grown and harvested young for tenderness.

* Others: Beet Tops (tender and small only) and mizuna add color and intrigue.

BITTER GREENS can be white, green, or purple and last up to a week in the fridge. In salads, use sparingly for balance.

* Frisée Or Curly Endive: The frizzy little leaves spring from thin, firm stems. If you buy a whole head, use the tender, inner leaves. Their pale green to white color and slightly bitter taste make them a good choice for contrast and texture. Keep bite-sized.

* Radicchio: The most common species of this softball-sized globe is purple and white variegated. Discard browned outer leaves. Adds color to salads, or quarter and core the head for grilling. A minute or two on the grill will tenderize it and mellow its bite serve with blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, and grilled pears.

* Belgian Endive: Torpedo-shaped and white with pale green tips, these crisp, small (about 4 inches long) heads are tightly nested long spears. Use whole spears for garnish, slice them to add crunch and a slight bitterness to salads, or slice lengthwise and dip in dressing before grilling for a couple minutes over Direct Medium heat.

* Escarole: Broad stem, ruffled green leaf, and very firm. Can also be braised or grilled to accompany grilled meats.

* Others: For sautéing or braising, try kale mustard or collard greens bok choy and red, green, or Swiss chard.

FRESH HERBS add interest and flavor. Toss in a little dill, cilantro, mint, parsley, or sorrel. Just be sure to pick herbs that work with your dressing.

From Weber’s Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

This _The Art Of Salad: Know Your Greens...And Reds And Whites recipe is from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.


More Recipes from the Weber's Big Book of Grilling Cookbook:
_A Bout With A Trout
_A Firehouse Turkey Tale
_A First-Class Luau
_A Griller's Pork Rib Glossary
_A Griller's Steak Glossary
_America's Main Squeeze: In Praise of Ketchup
_And The Good News Is...
_Beef On The Grill: Some Kind Of Wonderful
_Beyond Veggies: How To Grill For A Vegetarian
_Boning A Whole Chicken Or A Turkey Leg
_Boosting The Flavor Before You Grill
_Bratwurst Brouhaha
_Burgers On The Grill: Memories Of An Old Flame
_Butterflying Beef Short Ribs: Special Technique
_Check Your Char-O-Scope: Free Your Inner Griller - Scoring
_Chicken On The Grill: Something For Everyone
_Condiment Extraordinaire: The Glory Of Mustard
_Cooking Times For Whole Turkeys
_Cutting Chicken Into Serving Pieces
_Cutting Poultry For The Grill: Special Technique
_Dessert On The Grill: Sweet Endings
_Duck, Duck, Goose: Which Sauce For Which Dish?
_Eggplant On The Grill: Don't Be Bitter
_Extreme Grilling
_Fish On The Grill: Fun With Fins
_Fishy Choices: Fresh or Frozen?
_Flavor Enhancers
_Frenching A Rack Of Lamb
_Fruit On The Grill: Strawberries, Peaches, And Pears, Oh My!
_Game On The Grill: Call Of The Wild
_Granulated Garlic: Little Grains Of Wonder
_Great Grilled Garlic: Mom's Own Comfort Food
_Grill-Roasted Peppers: Hot Little Numbers
_Grilling Guide: Beef
_Grilling Guide: Fish & Seafood
_Grilling Guide: Fruit
_Grilling Guide: Game
_Grilling Guide: Lamb
_Grilling Guide: Pork
_Grilling Guide: Poultry
_Grilling Guide: Vegetables
_Grilling Tips: From Flatfish To Shellfish
_How To Get Great Grill Marks
_How To Make A Great Salad
_Lamb On The Grill: International Star
_Maintenance Tips
_Making Marinades: Strictly A Matter Of Taste
_Making Salmon Roll-Ups: Advanced Technique
_Matching Starters with Entrees 1: Beautiful Beginnings
_Matching Starters with Entrees 2: Beautiful Beginnings
_Meat Substitutes: Quick & Easy
_Oils And Vinegars: Seductive Chemistry
_Pork On The Grill: From Squeal To Meal
_Pork Ribs On The Grill: Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
_Poultry On The Grill: Bird On A Fire
_Preparing A Rib Roast
_Preparing Duck Breasts For The Grill
_Prime Rib On The Grill: Beef Royalty
_Quotes
_Removing The Membrane From Pork Ribs
_Removing The Silver Skin From Pork Tenderloin
_Resting And Salting Beef: Treat Me Right
_Sage Advice About Grilling Scallops
_Salmon On The Grill: Timing Is Everything
_Seared Ahi: The Exception To The Cardinal Rule
_Seasoned Salts: Quick Perks
_Sectioning Citrus Fruits: Slices of Sunshine
_Serving Up Turkey: A Flawless Feast
_Spices And Herbs
_Starters On The Grill: Okay, Put Down The Cheese Ball And No One Will Get Hurt
_Steak On The Grill: Sizzling Sensations
_Sweet Nostalgia: Gourmet S'Mores
_The Art Of Salad: Know Your Greens...And Reds And Whites
_The Noble Onion: Tearful Homage
_The Proper Way To Eat Barbecued Pork Ribs
_The Skinny On Skinning A Fillet
_Things Got Out Of Ham
_Tips For Great Grilled Pork
_Trussing: All Tied Up
_Turkey On The Grill: Have You Tried It Yet?
_Vegetable Grilling Chart
_Vegetables On The Grill: Bumper Crop Of Flavor
_Weber's Big Book Of Grilling: Forward
_Weber's Big Book Of Grilling: Introduction
_Weights And Measures: Basic Equivalents
_Weights And Measures: Converting To Metric
_Weights And Measures: Handy Substitutes
_Weights And Measures: Temperature Conversions
_What Your Burger Toppings Say About You
_Wield That Brush Like A Pro
_Year-Round Heroes: Corn & Squash




"I must say this is the best recipe software I have ever owned."
-Rob

"Your DVO cookbook software saves me time and money!"
-Mary Ann

"Call it nutrition software, meal planning software, cooking software, recipe manager, or whatever you want. It is the software I use to stay healthy!"
-David

"Your software is the best recipe organizer and menu planner out there!"
-Toni

"Thank you so very much for creating such a wonderful cooking recipe program. I think this is the best recipe program there is!"
-Sarah

"I saw lots of recipe software for PC computers but I was having a hard time finding really good mac recipe software. I'm so glad I discovered Cook'n! It's so nice to have all my recipes in a computer recipe organizer. Cook'n has saved me so much time with meal planning and the recipe nutrition calculator is amazing!!!
-Jill

My favorite is the Cook'n Recipe App.
-Tom