Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
accompaniment to a salad made with grilled beef. Flavored mayonnaise is always good.
Start with either homemade or a good commercial brand (Best Foods, sold as Hellmann's
on the East Coast, is the perennial first choice). Then add minced herbs, pureed roasted
peppers or whatever else strikes your fancy. Even the best of the prepared mayonnaises
will benefit from the addition of a little acidity: lemon juice or a vinegar of some sort.
Whichever dressing you choose, use just enough to season the salad and give it cohesive-
ness, but don't overdo it. When you taste the salad, the main flavor should be the ingredi-
ents, not the dressing. And a good salad should never be gloppy. A rule of thumb is to add
half the dressing and toss well, then add the rest a tablespoon at a time. Remember, you
can always pass more dressing at the table.
Also remember that if you're using starchy ingredients - beans, rice or potatoes, for ex-
ample - they'll absorb the flavors better if you mix them with a little bit of dressing while
they're still hot.
