Salad Daze

I get obsessive. I get something in my head and it doesn't go away until it comes to fruition. We won't go into detail about when that character trait works and when it doesn't. It's just that right now - I have this "baby lettuce" obsession. I never should have read Bella Tuscany. Ever since I read a passage where Frances Mayes described picking some fresh baby lettuces off her terrace and making a simple salad - I have obsessed over wanting a terrace filled with plantings of baby lettuces. I have pots and pots of herbs on my patio. Why not baby lettuces? I did announce to Paul (husband), that I immediately needed a terrace of baby lettuces for my "villa." I am likely to spend the next few days trying to figure out how many baby lettuces I can get onto my patio. My husband would be pleased to see a flower or two.
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So, I have this baby-lettuce fantasy and then for Mother's Day my daughter gave me:
200 Super Salads by Alice Storey. I want to make every salad in the book! I also want to grow all the ingredients but I will spare you that obsession. It's enough I try to fulfill my baby-lettuce-dream.

I made a grand start on fixing the salads. Four today! And as far I am concerned - it's all Italian - even when it says it's Greek. The hallmark of Italian cooking? Fresh! And these all are!

There's the green salad. (You can see why I need a terrace of baby lettuces.) It's your basic - anything you please. Since I don't have a terrace of baby lettuces (yeah, I'm harping on that again), I turned to my fridge. I had spinach, "live lettuce," (you do understand that if I had my own terrace of baby lettuces - this lettuce would have a name), and watercress. Mixed 4 T olive oil with 2 T Chardonnay vinegar, 1T Dijon mustard for dressing and was done. This was a good start in making a dent in the book. When spring starts, I like green. It has been months since I looked at anything - so Mother-Nature green!

I also served the Greek Salad. It's basic but bears repeating:

Chopped chunks of: 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, a whole mess of kalamata olives (I never was an exacting person), feta cheese cut in chunks and a little parsley and oregano. Dressing? A dash of olive oil and a squirt of lemon.

And the next salad caught my eye.

Daikon, Carrot and Red Bell Pepper Salad. I shredded four carrots and thinly julienned the red pepper. I substituted Daikon sprouts for the daikon - because that's all they had in the store. I toasted 1 T of sesame seeds and threw it all together. For the dressing: 1t sesame oil, 1t mirin, 1t rice vinegar. Heat gently over low flame to combine. Cool and toss with the salad. Sprinkle with scallion and cilantro. (I used parsley.) There's little in the way of dressing which was actually very nice. It just moistened the salad. And that's all it needed.

And then the American requisite Potato Salad.

2 lbs. new potatoes, 4 oz bacon, 1t vegetable oil, 6 scallions. 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used less), salt and pepper.

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Halve the potatoes and cook in lightly salted water till tender (about ten minutes). Rinse under cold water and allow to cool. Cook bacon till crisp. Slice some scallions thinly. Season with salt and pepper. Toss all (again - when cool) with the mayo. Top with some scallions, adjust seasonings and serve.

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Now, all I need is a villa with a terrace filled with baby lettuces. A fig tree would be nice.... and an olive grove....