Marian Platt

Many of us remember the Victory Gardens of World War II — they are making a comeback now! Some 20 million people produced prodigious yields in their backyard plots during the early 1940s, enriching their meals beyond what wartime food-ration books could provide.
My dad had a huge garden and what I remember most about it was his absolute delight in working in it and all the squash he grew.
Today they often are called pea patches and more and more people are finding the joy in growing their own veggies. It isn’t always a money-saver but, for sure, it is fresher and tastes better and you know it is organic if you choose to go that route.
Many of us can no longer work the garden but we are so fortunate here to have farms that do it the right way and their produce is always fresh and available. Nash Huber’s farm is a good example — his produce has changed the way we eat.
Once the poor relatives of the vegetable family, greens have become trendsetters. Cold, crisp and fresh greens are the basis for most salads.
Bibb or butterhead usually is chosen for smooth texture and delicate flavor and the frilled loose leaf lettuces to tickle our tongues. Scatter the pungent radicchio for an eye-opener and seek the unexpected for your salads — watermelon with red onions, spinach with strawberries, asparagus with citrus and asparagus with grapes.

Green Salad With Asparagus and Grapes
Servings: 4
1 pound asparagus
8 cups baby salad greens
2 cups seedless red grapes
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
4 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
Balsamic vinaigrette is made by mixing 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with 1 clove garlic, minced, 7 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Snap off tough ends of asparagus; arrange in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 2-4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Arrange salad greens on a serving platter; top evenly with asparagus, grapes, and next 4 ingredients. Serve with vinaigrette.

Greens With Beets and Goat Cheese
Servings: 8
2/3 cups pecan halves
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
dash salt
1 package mixed baby salad greens
1 can sliced beets, drained
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
In a large skillet, cook pecans,
1 tablespoon vinegar and water over medium heat until nuts are toasted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar. Cook and stir for 2-4 minutes or until sugar is melted. Spread on foil to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, syrup, mustard, salt and remaining vinegar. Refrigerate until serving.
In a large bowl, combine salad greens and dressing; toss to coat. Divide among eight salad plates. Top with beets, goat cheese and glazed pecans.

Green Salad With Apples,
Pecans and Blue Cheese
Servings: 6
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup pecans
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 scallions, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups torn escarole
1 small head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces (2 cups)
2 cups torn frisée
2 red apples, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over low heat; add pecans
and sugar, and cook, stirring,
until sugar melts and turns amber, and pecans are crisp and coated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with dash salt.
In large bowl, whisk together vinegar, remaining 1/4 cup oil, scallions, salt and pepper to taste.
Add escarole, radicchio, frisée and apples; toss well. Top with cheese and pecans and serve.

Green Salad With White Wine Vinaigrette
Servings: 6
8-ounce package haricots verts (tiny green beans)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash pepper
Half of 5-ounce package of fresh baby spinach
Half of 5-ounce package of fresh arugula
2 cups torn bibb lettuce
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
Whisk together olive oil and next 4 ingredients.
Toss together spinach, next 5 ingredients, and green beans in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

The first salads were simple, edible plants and herbs seasoned only with salt; the word salad comes from Latin “sal” for salt.
Today a good salad is made tasty and appetizing when the dressing is extra special. The dressing should enhance the salad by summoning forth a special flavor and adding a delicate piquancy.
The classic salad dressing is simplicity itself: three parts oil, one part vinegar or lemon juice, seasonings to taste. Make the dressing early as aging improves it, and the longer the ingredients are together, the better the flavor. Toss at the table so the dressing is in contact with the greens only a little time — once contact is made, the greens begin to wilt.
We always should keep in mind an old Spanish saying: “To make a perfect salad there should
be a spendthrift for oil, a miser
for vinegar, a wise man for salt, and a madcap to stir the ingredients up and mix them well together.”

Marian Platt, an be reached at 683-4691 or via e-mail at mlplatt@olypen.com.