What constitutes a salad?
>> Saturday, 12 July 2008
The salad world is not a world without conflict. There are ongoing battles about what actually constitutes a salad. On one side are the traditionalists who demand that the word ‘salad’ only be applied to cold food, raw food in bite sized portions, dressed in salad dressing. Then there are the iconoclasts, young rebels who say that a salad can be raw or cooked, cold or hot, dressed, or…dare I say it…undressed! Are you like me right now and asking yourself, “my goodness, how involved can a salad be?” Click here to read more in my column and to find out how we in the Caribbean think of salad.
The recipe and inspiration for this Creste Pasta Salad was drawn from my dear friend, Marie at Proud Italian Cook. I love everything Marie makes.
This warm potato salad I made is heavily adapted from Bobby Flay's Warm German Potato Salad. Email me and I'll send you my adaptation. Elly also made this salad and you can see her's here.
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It is truly amazing the wonderful opportunities that can open up through the world of food blogging. I'd like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine who's really having a great time and doing what she loves. Please meet Bren of Flanboyant Eats, she's a lawyer, musician and singer and gets to travel the Caribbean writing about food! Well, guess who she teamed up with and will be the featured guest on his new show that will be debuting on Planet Green? Celebrity Chef, Emeril Lagasse!!! The show, Emeril Green, debuts on Monday, July 14 from 8 - 10 p.m. Bren's episode is at 9 p.m. Be sure to watch and tell her what you think! Bren, congrats my friend and here's a wish for many more bright moments such as this.Finally, last week it was the celebration of America's Independence, and this week over at Forgive Me My Nonsense... you have to read Bee's take on Being American.
60 comments:
I agree..Marie totally inspires me too with all those fantastic colors and food combinations! :)
Your salads look beautiful and very tantalizing! :)Refreshing and light is usually what I think of when I consider a salad..but we Italians often throw something warm into our bowls..heat brings out the flavors often! Like for tomatoes and olives!:)
Ciao
i love bren's blog. and salads. i adore bread and salads. that's all i need.
Great post! For me salads involve whatever I want them to be ... as long as they are my main meal :)
Not going Vegan, but am trying for more of a vegetarian diet, so salads will become a big part of that diet.
The choice of pasta for the 1st salad is so unique and the potato salad...looks like there's some pork in there!
I always toss my potato salad when warm...they absorb flavours so much more.
Cynthia...I could dine on these salads with wine for dinner.
I love salads; room temperature or cold. Your potato salad looks comforting/satisfying. :-)
Hi Cynthia!
That pasta is such an unusual shape! That salad looks delicious --I love everything Marie makes, too. I love potato salad and your looks good!
Looking forward to looking at the blogs you recommend.
I am one of those rebels that think salads should be undressed. If it is a good salad, why do you need to dress it, right? Hehe
I love Bren and I am so happy for her. I wish her all the best in the world.
I love salads! Any kind of salads (sweet or savory, rich or light, exotic or not, etc...)!
Yours look delicious! Exactly what I like...
Cheers,
Rosa
Nothing beats the perfect salad. I love Marie and Bren.
I used to think salads meant just the green leafy vegetables but now I know that only sky is the limit :)
Beautiful salads Cynthia they look so appetizing. To me a salad is many things... :-)
i love salads with potatoes. prefer bland potatoes to the spiced kind :)
Yum to both!
Hi Cynthia, You picked the most perfect shaped pasta for your salad, I love it! I also enjoyed reading your article, and what you said is really true, that salads are versatile and open for interpretation, and that is very evident as we see so many wonderful creative salads through out the blogosphere. Thank you for your kind words, you are the sweetest! I always enjoy my visit with you! I'm forever learning new things! xoxo, Marie
Absolutely love the shape of your pasta! It's just so cute.
Salads are always yummy, refreshing and light.. gives you immense scope to try new variations..
Just salt some lemon juice also is nice !!
The potato salad is calling me out..Do send the recipe dear..
I too love salad--one of my favorite salads is tomato,basel and mozzarella cheese--some salt and pepper and olive oil and balsamac vinegar--sort of a composed salad--
seafood salad is nice with onions,garlic octopus and spices and marinated in lime juice-place on lettuce or serve with crakers or whatever you like--
greek salad--feta,black olives,onions,tomatos,pepper,stuffed grape leaves and anchovies--my heart sings!
First of all you are
tagged C! ;)
And salads for all seasons are just awesome to have for any time of day! And if it is made with pasta! hmmmmmmmmm nothing more to say ;)
Marie's blog is fabulous and her foods make my mouth water! Thanks for introducing me to Bren's blog! :)
I do enjoy a good salad, but am guilty of enjoying salads so much more when I don't have to prepare it myself! :)
I have recently developed a recipe for warm salad. You may like that too. Let me post it sometime.
Hey Cynthia! *waving*
What a beautiful place you have here. I stumbled upon your blog via The Foodie Blog Roll and I'm so glad I did. Girl, this place is quite lovely, indeed!
As it happens, I love salads of all types and yours look absolutely fabulous! There is so much to see here. I'll be back soon.
Have a wonderful week!
LJ
Personally, I like a Nicoise Salad, but then it must have fresh tuna, not tinned and a proper poached egg. It is however quite a point to ponder on...I mean, why is a Warm Potato salad not a Potato side dish????
Love Marie's blog and have just found Bren's - thanks for the link!
yeah! Salads are what we made it. But your versions r certainly unique. =)
I love egg and potato salad!!! I think it's the most sinful one of all. Hahaha...
great looking salads. I'd eat either one of those!
I LOVE making salads (as one dish meals) for dinner. Hubby's appreciative of a creative salad, and I agree that anything can go into a salad as long as the pairing of the flavours is correct. Do share the recipes pls. Thanks!
I have to try something along the lines of your warm potato salad. I've been wanting to for a long time now.
I'll be watching tonight. I haven't had a chance to check out that Planet Green channel yet, but I think Emeril makes for a good excuse!
Well, that first salad just looks pretty! I can imagine these are some awesome tasting salads :)
This is amazing! Would you believe that I've borrowed borrowed both of these recipes myself from Bobby and Proud Italian Cook? Mine tasted excellent - but yours look much prettier. I am jealous. I loved the romano cheese in Proud Italian's salad. And I've always preferred German potato salad over the mayo kind. I highly recommend both of these.
What a great choice for salads. They look delicious, nutritious and flavorful! Loved our article about salads in the Caribbean!
Very happy for your friend Bren! She must have had the greatest experience with Emerald!
Both salads look gorgeous Cynthia... and such pretty looking pasta too.
Call it what you will..they look delicious! ;)
We say "sallat" (eng. lettuce) when we talk about the varieties. Most of them have green leaves.
Our "sallad" (eng. salad) is usually a mixture of different vegetables.
Anything that has plant based ingredients in majority and does not make you feel sleepy within the first 10 minutes of its consumption constitutes a salad :) Just kidding!
Salad is 'healthy food-art' combining colors and food in a healthful manner. If we remove the word healthy from it, it becomes a dessert :D.
What constitutes a salad? Outside of produce as a key ingredient and some sort of dressing, I think anything else goes. I can certainly vouch for German potato salad. I grew up on it, every Saturday evening at Grandma's. Yours looks lush.
For us Indians, salad is a part of the meal, but in the West, it IS the meal!!
Both salads look gorgeous and delicious Cynthia... and yummy yummy pasta .....U have nice and lovely blog....
I like to eat salad everyday. I love greek salad.
No matter how you make it, I love salads! And I love those noodles - so fun!
I think salads run the gamut from simply dressed greens, to warm grain salads, to bean salads, to fruit salads. I guess I'm a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to the definition of salad. But I know this, I love all of the ones you posted!
Awesome colour combo!. Love the salad. Looks filling:-)
this is what is so addicting in your side..your delicious photography and brilliant writing! i love them cynthia!
the salads look amazing!
Oh those salads.... yum! You always have the best recipes over here!
I like the pasta salad more than potato salad. Both look so inviting! Great salads!
The loose definition of a salad is quite broad and includes a lot of things. I have been enjoying all sorts of salads that are new to me lately. Your pasta an potato salads look really good. Both pasta and potato salad are on my to make list.
These salads look perfect, Cynthia! I love that pasta shape...I am always on the lookout for a new pasta shape! Salads (however you define them) are especially great in this heatwave because they don't require quite as much (if any) cooking. Thanks for the lovely photos and inspiration, as always.
I just can't control my saliva right now...your salads look so inviting...it makes me feel like going & taste some now....lovely!
I love cold veggies and hot meat as a salad but I also love grilled veggies and potato salad and fruit salad and...I guiess I just love salad!
Both salads look absolutely delicious, but to even think of a potato salad with bacon in it makes my mouth water!
Greetings,
Tiina
Thanks for coming over. Life may be settling down enough for me to blog again.
That's a lovely phrasing with the comment field. Indeed of all the places to be in the world, it's good to sit by your graceful table.
and salad, yes. my line gets drawn around marshmallows. Add those, then it becomes "salad" not salad.
I love it! I worked as a waitress many years ago and we had this pasta on the menu. I must have explained cresta de gallo, aka cockscomb a zillion times. haha
Great post as usual Cynthia!
Wow....ur salads look amazing!
Loved the shape of the pasta...nice info
I LOVE your blogs and I need to eat something - STAT! That last salad picture about did me in. I'm doing a simple salad a lot lately with arugula, fresh basil, tomatoes, pine nuts, avacado, ev olive oil, s and p and vinegar. It's simple and yummy :-)
Yummy salads! Yummo!!
Bobby Flay's Warm German Potato Salad hmm now that sounds yummy! love the read on salads. I love salads!
I love the recipes, they look so good. I love to equip my spice rack with herbs and spices so that when the time that I am going to cook that food, I have lots of ingredients to choose from.
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