Big Names. Big Salads.
By now, you may be bored with the summer garden tomato and cucumber salad. I add Walla Walla Sweet onions or a purple onion for color, adding salt, pepper, and seasoned rice wine vinegar. It's simple. I make it in the morning and let it marinate for the day, and I have the perfect summer salad. It's a salad that I will actually crave when the temperatures rise.
We're now in the fall season, but this doesn't mean we must give up on salad. We can add heartier ingredients to our salads. For me, these additions are often items that I already have in my pantry.
Leon Dressing
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
The Waldorf salad is a memory from my childhood. My mother often made it during the fall when the apples came into season, especially the local apples from the Oregon border. We often had this salad with roast pork for Sunday dinners. At least once or twice every fall, I make a large bowl of this salad and nibble on it for a couple of days. It's fresh and crunchy, and depending on the dressing's ingredients, it's almost fat-free. My family used the recipe from the New York Times. Mom used mayonnaise (always Best Foods/Hellman's) for the dressing, while Grandma used Miracle Whip.
This salad is named after the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where, in the late 1800s, a Swiss-American restaurateur named Oscar Tschirky created this crunchy fresh salad for a charity ball. He developed many signature recipes for the hotel and was known far and wide as “Oscar of the Waldorf." In 1959 The New York Times wrote, "Millions who never visited the Waldorf owe him (Oscar) a debt."
Peel the apple (or not) and cut it into halves. Remove the core and chop into 1/4-inch dice. In a medium bowl, mix celery, diced apples, mayonnaise, and optional nuts; season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. To be "fancy," arrange the salad on lettuce leaves. This salad makes two servings, but for a larger group, double the ingredients.- Add dried cranberries or sliced grapes for a little extra brightness in the salad. For an extra bit of savory, add ½ cup crumbled blue or feta cheese.
- The Classic Cobb Salad
The history of this famous salad is often debated. Still, it's generally attributed to Robert Howard Cobb, co-owner of the famous and now former Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles. It's been said that Cobb created this salad in 1937 after a long day and needing a late-night snack. He made his salad by using leftovers from the restaurant's kitchen and mixing them with French dressing. This recipe serves four or two generous servings.
In a small bowl, combine the shallot, mustard, and vinegar. Gradually add the oil while whisking constantly. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and the acid/oil balance to taste.
Poach, air fry, or roast chicken breasts. Shred or slice. Add chopped romaine lettuce to two large plates or platters. Top the lettuce with the ingredients in a line or decorative fashion.
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