FOOD: Clyde Van Arsdall IV gives tips on making salads with easy recipes

Toss out the Salad store-bought dressing

Story by Chef Clyde Van Arsdall Photos by Georgia Chakos

Lettuce does not a salad make. It’s all about the dressing. Not just any dressing — homemade dressing. A salad, in the most basic terms, is anything dressed. Potato, egg, chicken, tuna and pasta can be found in salad forms. These ingredients typically have a thicker dressing than a leafy green salad, but they are still considered salads.

The word salad came from the word sal for salt. In ancient Rome, raw vegetables were soaked in saltwater or dressed with salt, oil and vinegar to make them palatable. So when you dress something, it becomes a salad.

I have always been fascinated by all the wonderful and innovative things people put in salads. Colors, flavors and textures are all so important, but if it isn't dressed, it ain't a salad. There are several tricks to making a good salad that I will share with you, and none is more important than making your salad dressing at home.

Here in California, there is no dressing more iconic than ranch dressing. Evidently, a ranch isn’t just a farm for animals. It is also a place where Steve and Gayle Henson first made their now-famous herbaceous buttermilk dressing. It was served to guests at their Hidden Valley Ranch near Santa Barbara in the early 1950s. Yes, it is a real place. There are quite a few other brands out there that had real beginnings and, in some instances, came from famous or iconic restaurants. Bob’s Blue Cheese

Days

dressing originated at Bob’s Big Boy burger chain in Los Angeles. Girard's French restaurant in San Francisco gave birth to Girards’s French dressing in 1935. And Caesar Cardini’s famous Caesar dressing came from the restaurant at Caesar’s hotel in Tijuana, Mexico.

There is no doubt that when these famous places started sending customers home with mason jars of these classic dressings, they were every bit as good as the stuff they were serving in-house. The versions you are buying in the store are not. To start with, they are not made in-house by hand. The dressings we purchase in the store are mass-produced in a factory. Many restaurants have given up making dressings from scratch as well.

So what's the big deal? Are homemade dressings that much better? The answer is a definitive yes. Not only are they better tasting, but they are better for you. Store-bought

dressings are packed full of preservatives. Those are the words on the label you don't recognize. A simple rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce an ingredient, or you don’t recognize it, don’t eat it.

Dressings are easy to make, they last a long while in the refrigerator and are so much better than the ones you buy in the store. Once you get the hang of it, you will have a hard time ever buying dressing from the store again. There are a few things you need to know about dressings. The basics are simple; most dressings contain fat and acid. The key to a good dressing is getting that ratio correct for the salad you are making.

Most green salads are composed of lettuce and raw vegetables, often with a lighter dressing such as a vinaigrette. In my salad days, I thought a vinaigrette was as simple as one part oil to three parts vinegar. I had that stupid ratio stuck in my head. This ratio of fat to acid isn't incorrect — it will work. It's just that most of my favorite dressings don't adhere to it. Every salad is different and this ratio should change depending on what the dressing is for. Usually, more oil than vinegar is used, but most of the time not by much and there are some exceptions.

With spring in full swing, let's focus on green salads and the dressings that make them pop. I have chosen a few of my favorites. There are a few classic salads that make my shortlist and I will share those recipes. Those salads are the Caesar, the classic spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, the wedge salad with a creamy blue cheese dressing and the Greek salad.

I will direct you to one of the best chopped salads in existence and share some dressings that can be put on everything: my balsamic vinaigrette and buttermilk ranch dressing. Let's start with a unique salad that comes with a warm dressing.

Spinach Salad: Baby spinach, thinly sliced red onions, sliced mushrooms, hard-boiled egg and crumbled bacon. Served with a warm bacon dressing.

This salad is unique both for the use of spinach, a tougher leaf, and for its warm bacon dressing. The warm dressing helps wilt the spinach, making the leaves easier to eat. I first discovered this salad as a kid working the salad station at Peohe’s the year it opened. I

was what the Chart House called a “Gunga,” slang for the guy that works the salad station. Every morning I would cook trays of bacon for the dressing and as a topping for the salad. This salad is so simple, but it packs a punch. The hard-boiled egg is served with the white and yolk separated. Whites diced, and yolks crumbled. The crumbled yolk will fuse to the warm bacon dressing. Use good bacon — it is all over this salad. The cheese, spinach and bacon provide a healthy helping of umami. Umami is one of the five basic tastes in addition to sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Umami is that amazing flavor that is hard to describe with any word other than yummy.

The Wedge Salad: A wedge of iceberg lettuce, creamy blue cheese dressing, crumbled bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes and chives.

This salad is a steakhouse classic. A simple salad, full of potential. Restaurant versions are either tremendous or terrible. Much like the Caesar salad, if you use quality ingredients, this salad can and should be excellent. Here are a couple of tips to make sure this salad rocks. Use top-notch blue cheese in your dressing. Humboldt Fog is a goat’s milk cheese akin to a mild blue that you can find locally. The tomatoes play a big part in this salad. I love the heirloom cherry or pear varieties; if you can't find good heirloom tomatoes, then simply don't make the salad. As for bacon, buy the good stuff — smoked and thick-cut.

Caesar salad: Romaine hearts, croutons, grated parmesan. Served with a Caesar dressing.

A classic that was invented just across the border in Tijuana. Don't forget that Caesar salad is finger food; — don't chop the leaves, simply cut them in half and eat with your hands. I have written about the Caesar salad previously in the September 2020 issue of Crown City Magazine in an article titled “Hail Caesar.” Since then, I have updated and perfected my recipe for the dressing.

Greek salad: Tomatoes, kalamata olives, thinly sliced red onions, feta cheese, pepperoncini and cucumber. Dressed in olive oil, oregano and lemon. Lettuce can be added, but it's not necessary. This salad is one of my favorites. I am lucky enough to have a Greek girlfriend who insisted on sharing the finer points of this salad with me. The secret, she says, is good French — not Greek — feta and quality pitted Kalamata olives. Both of these can be found at North Park Produce in their deli case. The pepperoncini give the salad a nice bite. The tomatoes should be of superior quality and the cucumbers should be seeded. The lemon is a personal addition that provides a nice tang. (A lot of traditional recipes do not include lemon.)

Chopped salad: Red onion, iceberg lettuce, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, provolone, Genoa salami and pepperoncini. Dressed in red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and topped with lemon juice and dried oregano.

So good when prepared correctly, this is very easy to make and very refreshing. The trick is chopping everything to a consistent size. Good pepperoni or genoa salami is a must. The kind you want comes in a stick that you have sliced to order at a market. This premium salami can be found in Coronado at Garage Buona Forchetta or in Little Italy at Assenti’s and Mona Lisa. In my humble opinion, Nancy Silverton makes the best version of this salad; there is nothing that needs improving. I hope you look it up.

Give these recipes a try. The best place to shop for salad ingredients is your local farmers' market. If the timing isn’t right for a market take a trip to Specialty Produce on Hancock Street; it is well worth the drive. If they don't have everything you want for a great salad, no one will.

• Clyde Van Arsdall is a third-generation Coronado Local, chef and storyteller. For more stories and follow-ups to his articles go to oliveavenuesupperclub.com.

Blue Cheese Dressing Olive Avenue Supper Club

Ingredients: • 4 oz of goat cheese (Humboldt Fog) crumbled • ¼ cup of sour cream • ¼ cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s or

Duke’s) • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives • 1.5 teaspoons prepared horseradish • 1.5 teaspoons champagne vinegar • Milk or buttermilk to thin out the dressing to the right consistency.

Directions: Stir together in a bowl with a fork, smashing some of the blue cheese so it will incorporate into the dressing. Leave the rest chunky. Thin to desired consistency with milk or buttermilk.

Greek Salad Dressing Georgia Chakos

Ingredients: • 8 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 2 teaspoons dried oregano • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions: This dressing is so basic that it can be mixed together or the ingredients can be tossed with the salad individually. The original recipe had no lemon juice, just oil and dry oregano.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Olive Avenue Supper club

Ingredients: • 5 Tablespoons olive oil • 4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar • 4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions: Whisk together in a bowl or combine and shake in a jar.

Warm Bacon Dressing Olive Avenue Supper Club

Ingredients: • 3 Tablespoons of bacon fat • 3 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar • 1teaspoon of sugar • ½ teaspoon of dijon mustard (buy the good stuff; Maille is a great brand) • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions: In a small saucepan, heat bacon grease, whisk in red wine vinegar, sugar, and dijon, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve warm over salad.

Caesar Dressing Olive Avenue Supper Club

• 4 anchovies • ½ teaspoon salt • 2 cloves garlic • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard • 2 Tablespoon olive oil • ½ cup neutral oil (grapeseed or avocado) • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese • 2 egg yolks

Directions: Mince then smash together the salt garlic and anchovies until it is like a paste. Add the pepper, mustard, cheese, and egg yolk and whisk together. Slowly whisk in the two oils until everything is incorporated.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Olive Avenue Supper Club

• ½ cup sour cream • ½ cup buttermilk • ¼ cup mayonnaise, Hellmann’s or Duke’s • 2 cloves garlic minced • 1 teaspoon of salt • ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper • 1 ½ teaspoon dried dill • ¼ cup finely chopped chives • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions: Combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Helpful Salad tips:

• A salad is a canvas, so paint it however you would like. Treat salad recipes as a guideline that can be changed to your liking. Lettuce types are often interchangeable, as are toppings. Vinegar and oils in dressings are easy to switch up as well. • Tomatoes: only buy good ones, as dressing won't help flavorless tomatoes. • Always add something crunchy. I like croutons, but fried wonton or tortilla strips are fun. A real zinger is Rice Krispies Cereal. I had this at

Harney Sushi, and it blew my mind. • Onions can often be too astringent tasting — once sliced, onions can be rinsed under cold water or soaked in ice water for up to an hour. This mellows them right out. • Olive oil is a flavorful oil so buy the good stuff. I like unfiltered varieties (Buona Forchetta market or

Assenti’s). • Neutral oil: instead of corn or canola, try grapeseed or avocado oil. • Vinegar: good balsamic, red wine, champagne and rice wine varieties are good to have on hand. • Citrus: use fresh never buy bottled lemon or lime juice. • Black pepper: buy a grinder, and always use the fresh stuff. The difference is night and day. • Grab a second bowl when serving.

Use it to dress the amount of salad you put on your plate. If you don't dress the entire salad, you can store the leftovers with better results. • When making a dressing, always double the recipe. Most dressings last for weeks in the refrigerator.