WASHINGTON — It’s familiar fare on most dinner tables and a favorite lunch option for the health-conscious, and no matter what, it just always seems to taste better when someone else makes it.
We’re talking about salad, and if your go-to mix is looking a little sad these days, we’re here to rescue you from your rut.
Michael Stebner is the director of culinary innovation at sweetgreen, which has more than 20 locations in the D.C. area, and he’s on a mission to toss old misconceptions aside and change the way people think about what constitutes a salad.
“Our obligation is to … get people out of this idea that a salad is shredded carrots and chopped up iceberg and ranch dressing and old cucumbers that have no flavor and tomatoes that aren’t in season,” Stebner said.
“I just really want people to start thinking outside of the bowl a little bit.”
So break out your tongs and tupperware. It’s time to get chopping.
It’s all about that base
Don’t feel the need to stick with the same old spinach, arugula or romaine base for each salad. Stebner’s best piece of advice is to utilize what’s in season at the farmers market — or what looks best at the grocery store.
Spring is the perfect time of year to experiment with greens, since they’re just starting to come out of the ground. Some of Stebner’s favorites are red leaf, baby romaine and limestone lettuce.
Choosing the base of the salad also depends on what type of salad you’re trying to make. For a lighter meal, stick to the sweeter greens, such as butter lettuce and red leaf. Dandelion greens, pea shoots and mâche are other great alternatives for a delicate dish.
If you want something heartier and more substantial, try bok choy or kale. These greens will also pack a punch when it comes to flavor.
“Nutritionally dense foods just happen to have a lot more flavor than foods that have very little nutrition,” Stebner said.
‘Lettuce’ think beyond the leaves
Believe it or not, a salad doesn’t need traditional greens to be a salad.
Stebner says grains — such as farro, quinoa or wheat berry — can be the base, as can lentils and pasta. This is a great option if you’re craving a salad with a little more substance.
But one of his favorite combinations this season contains neither greens nor grains.
“You could make a salad right now with new potatoes that are either roasted or poached and cut up, beautiful asparagus, sliced spring onions, maybe some roasted mushrooms, maybe some snap peas,” Stebner said.
Toss with a little bit of olive oil and salt and plate it up with a grilled piece of fish, and you’ve got yourself a meal.
“[A salad] can be delicious and in-season ingredients held together with a sauce,” he said.
Explore different proteins
From a protein perspective, there’s a lot you can do if you want to distance yourself from strips of rubbery chicken. Yes, steak and fish are always an option, but Stebner likes to experiment with ingredients other than animal protein, such as roasted tofu and tempeh.
“I love tempeh,” he said. “It’s delicious; it’s kind of chewy, it’s got texture to it.”
Piling on the cheese also piles on protein — especially the harder varieties.
“Certain cheeses, like Parmesan cheese, are much higher in protein than say cheddar cheese. So if you’re trying to get the most bang for your buck, go with those harder cheeses because a lot of times they have more protein.”
And don’t ignore legumes. Black beans, garbanzo beans and lentils lend a nutty taste.
Addressing the dressing
Many think of dressing as the most important component of the salad, but Stebner says it’s actually the other way around.
“For me, the dressing is a way to add flavor to stuff that’s already really delicious,” he said. “The secret with dressings is to use them as a catalyst of flavor and not necessarily the flavor of the salad.”
Stebner says most dressings follow a simple formula: two-parts fat to one-part acid. Fats can be an oil (olive oil, sesame oil and grapeseed oil are popular choices) or a creamy ingredient, such as yogurt or mayonnaise. Citrus juices and vinegars are common acids.
For stronger acids, such as sherry vinegar, Stebner recommends a ratio of three-parts fat to one-part acid.
The dressing is one area where it pays to splurge. Using quality ingredients will make your salad sing. Plus, a good bottle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar will last you a while.
“Cheap or low-quality vinegars really actually diminish the end flavor of your dressing,” he adds.
And Stebner says, by all accounts, do not use the concentrated lemon juice in the bright yellow plastic bottles for your dressing. If you’re adding citrus juice, make sure it comes directly from a lemon, lime or orange.
Garlic, onion and ginger can add an extra dimension of flavor to any dressing.
“The flavor of garlic in a dressing — just raw garlic, even a little — really brings out a lot of flavor. Especially if you’re going for that Mediterranean taste,” he said.
Ginger is ideal for Asian-style dressings, such as one made with soy sauce, sesame oil and miso.
“Ginger is going to brighten it up and get more depth of flavor for that dressing,” Stebner said.
Want to mimic the quintessential bistro salad? Stebner says a Parisian-style vinaigrette calls for a little bit of shallot, a touch of white wine vinegar, some olive oil and a dash of mustard.
“It’s so simple yet so complex and it adds so much flavor to that simple green salad,” he said.
However, the most important ingredient in any dressing is a little bit of water — just a tablespoon or so.
“It seems a little weird, but it really gives the vinegar and the other ingredients you’ve thrown in there, it just helps to spread them out a little bit,” Stebner said.
If you’re making a creamy dressing, such as a homemade caesar, thin it out with a little bit of yogurt.
“It’s not going to be watered down; it’s actually going to enhance the flavors and help to coat the leaves, because really, the secret to salad is getting the surfaces of the vegetables and the lettuces and the grains coated with a very thin amount of dressing,” he said.
Do Less
Whatever you do, don’t smother your delicious and in-season veggies with dressing. The perfect salad is a perfect example of “less is more.”
“You don’t have to add a bunch to your salad or your food to make it taste good because it already is good,” Stebner said. “Right now asparagus doesn’t need any help. It’s so good just by itself. All you have to do is not mess it up. Treat it with a little bit of restraint and just let it be itself.”
