Salad Extras

NWJ Cabin Services Manual

 

The discovery, over the last few years, of how delightful many vegetables can be to eat raw has revolutionized salads and created a new kind of hors d'oeuvre called "Crudités," meaning a platter of vegetables served with a dip. Whereas previously cucumbers, peppers, radishes, celery and tomatoes were about the only vegetables served with lettuce in the salad bowl, today it is not uncommon to find pieces of broccoli or cauliflower, slices of zucchini and mushroom, handfuls of bean sprouts and slivers of fennel adding zesty interest to salads.

If you prefer to devise your own combinations of trimmings, here is a list of many of the fresh vegetables you will find in our produce department and which are suitable for serving raw in salads or as crudités.

Cucumbers - peel and/or seed if desired; slice

Green bell peppers - core, seed; cut in strips, rings or chop

Red bell peppers - core, seed; cut in strips, rings or chop

Red radish - wash well, make decorative cuts

White radish - slice, julienne

Tomatoes - peel if desired; slice or chop

Cherry tomatoes - serve whole, halved or quartered

Scallions - trim; slice, chop or use whole .

*Asparagus - select only very slender ones, snap off ends

*Green beans - trim ends, leave whole or slice.

*Wax beans - trim ends, leave whole or slice.

*Broccoli - use only flowerets, cut them into small pieces.

*Cauliflower - cut flowerets into small pieces.


Sunchokes - scrub or peel; slice, sliver or dice

*Carrots - scrub or peel; slice, sliver, dice or grate

Jicama - peel; slice, sliver or dice Celery)--trim; slice or chop

Celery root - peel and sliver

White turnips - peel and slice thin or sliver

Kohlrabi - peel and slice thin or sliver

Sugar snap peas - trim ends, use whole.

*Snow Peas - trim ends; use whole or sliver

Zucchini (green squash) - slice, sliver or dice

Yellow squash - slice, sliver or dice

Mushrooms - wash and slice or quarter

Enoki mushrooms - trim ends, use whole

Red onion - peel; slice or dice

Spanish onion - peel; slice or dice

Fennel - trim; slice or dice

Bean sprouts - add plain

In addition to these vegetables, other vegetables such as potatoes, peas and beets can be cooked and then added to salads.

The following fruits also make good additions to salads: Apple slices (dress with lemon juice to prevent browning); Pineapple chunks; Kiwi slices; Cantaloupe or Honeydew Melon chunks; diced Papaya or Mango; Avocado chopped or in slices and dressed with lemon or lime juice to prevent darkening.

Other additions to salads that you will also find in many stores include: Capers; Anchovies; Anchovy paste; Jarred or frozen Artichoke Hearts; Olives; Croutons; Cheese to crumble, dice or grate; Cured meats to sliver or dice; Nut meats; Eggs for hard-cooking.

* These vegetables are also good in salads if they are blanched, that is cooked for just a few minutes in boiling water or by steaming, then rinsed thoroughly in cold water and drained.

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Source -- New World Jet Cabin Services Manual