Summer Salads for the Sensory

Australian Summers tend to be inhospitably hot, which makes me lean toward foods that don't require heating or much cooking. On days when I can fry an egg by cracking it onto the pavement (and promptly have a meltdown over the lack of hygiene), the last thing I want to do is spend time in close proximity to a hot stove.

Also, just that bit of extra heat is enough to set the fire alarm off, on the very hot days. The neighbors might find this hilarious, but it's an extra headache that I don't need.

So, cold cuts, sandwiches and salads it is.

As a kid, I hated salads.

Looking back, it makes perfect sense: half the ingredients were tastes or textures that I couldn't stand, and the other half were drowning in the most basic dressing available. For example, I can't stand the taste of lettuce, and raw tomatoes are a Hard No on multiple levels.

What are the first two ingredients you're likely to find in any salad? Lettuce and uncooked tomatoes.

Imagine my indignation, upon reaching adulthood and preparing to cater my first event (A dinner for about twenty people, not that anyone reading this is likely to care) that vinaigrettes exist, dressings could be served on the side for people to add to their own taste, and I could exclude any ingredients that I didn't want to eat!

The inhumanity! I was appalled! Where was this knowledge when I was stuck in my chair for hours on end because I couldn't stand the thought of actually putting that wilted, ranch slathered lettuce leaf in my mouth, and I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I'd eaten it?

What had I been missing out on all these years, purely because everyone around me insisted that lettuce - second only to celery in it's watery, flavorless texture hellishness - was the only acceptable salad base?

Working in community Aged Care, away from any handy refrigerators or microwaves, and not really paid enough to afford to buy lunch every day, salads were a lunch lifesaver. A cooler bag and chill block kept things nice and chill, and could be tucked away without problems.

Ingredients

So, what goes into a good salad? Anything you damn well want!

More seriously, a good ratio is the leafy base, and a ratio of about 2 vegetables:1 protien, in roughly equal measures.

My usual go-to ingredients are baby spinich for the base - food brand "The Odd Bunch" packages the pre-shredded aesthetically displeasing leaves, and all I have to do is divide them up between tupperware containers - with shredded carrot, cucumber, and shaved Granny Smith apple. For the more adventurous, pre-packaged Thai Rainbow Salad can round out the shredded vegetables. If I'm eating the salad right away, like a home dinner, I'll include avocado, but it browns quickly, so I usually won't add it to a packed lunch.

For protien, I usually pick either Kangaroo and macadamia nuts, or chicken and cashew. The chicken is especially good when I cook it in Citrus Syrup (lemon and orange curd, skip the butter), giving a bit of a tangy aftertaste. Ham is an occasional option, but it should be chunky, off-the-bone ham, not the processed stuff.

If I want to go meat-free, and my orange tree is in season, I'll throw some cut up orange in with pine nuts, dried cranberries or blueberries, and crumbled feta over baby spinach and call it good.

Method

As a Game meat, Kangaroo should be cooked either one of two ways: Low and Slow, or seared Rare. Medium Rare, at the most. Anything beyond that, and it turns tough and chewy.

Chicken can be cooked in the oven or the frying pan, but make sure you cook it through. Raw or undercooked chicken is a fast track to an upset belly or even food poisoning.

In Summary...

The recipe for a salad is whatever you want to put in it, as long as you like the flavour combinations, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

I'm considering writing a cookbook of simple recipies for people with limited time and sensory issues. Let me know in the comments if that's something you'd be interested in!

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