We got SO many good ideas from reader’s entering our giveaway of Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating that we could put together our own potent little pamphlet of salad ideas. The randomly chosen winner’s idea proved to be an especially charming one:

There is not much I won’t put in a salad, I love to add nasturtiums if I’m having company or the need to eat flowers.

And here are a few more favorites, including an idea we never thought of:

recently discovered the incredible delicousness of grilling heads of Romaine, including melting a little grated parmesan on one side.  I would never have thought of grilling salad, but it’s now my favorite!!!!

and a saladic sort of poem:

figs, goat cheese, nuts of any kind, greens of any kind

poached pear in wine and brown sugar, gorgonzola, walnuts cranberries, greens

watermelon, red onion, feta

 avocado, cucumber, tomato, red onion, pine nuts

mixed roasted veggies, incl. butter nut squash or sweet potato, small pasta, greens, maple dressing

shrimp, mango, red onion, feta, good olive oil, good salt

etc., etc….

+ a short discourse on salads, with an idea for making one in a tea cup:

There is magic to organic. Nothing beats ingredients from the farmer’s market. I prefer not to add too many ingredients as it confuses the palate (which is true for all recipes!). And, a very simple salad (say, oak leaf lettuce with cut spring onions, black cured olives and boiled eggs) benefits from a strong dressing (French mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic, salt and pepper), while a more complex one is best dressed simply with oil, a dash of lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper.

A fun way to present is “salad in a cup”. I use large teacups with an inverted dome shape, I spray them with olive oil inside and put in layers of parsley, cream or goat cheese, avocado, cut spring onions, chopped tomato, shredded tuna, cream or goat cheese again, and seal off the top (which becomes the bottom) with a slice of salami, which usually is exactly the size of the teacup. Refrigerate, and turn over on plates on which you have placed a few lettuce leaves – curly leaves look really nice. Is a great dinner starter or lunch main course.

If you didn’t win Mindy’s great book, you can buy Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating, here. It would be a perfect summer house gift.

Related posts: blueberries, feta and mint recipe from our giveaway…mindy fox’s ‘salads: beyond the bowl’
lemon-scented olive oil  (recipe + gift idea = valentine)
recipe: roasted pears for sweet or savory improvisations
fried egg formula for a satisfying breakfast (or lunch or dinner)x