In addition to the high content of vitamin C, lettuces also have a high concentration of vitamin A. Lettuce is also a source of folic acid - one serving covers as much as 38 percent. the daily requirement for this acid. It contains phosphorus, potassium and fiber. Therefore, it is worth eating lettuce, especially in summer, when lettuce is the best, fresh and very he althy. How to combine different types of lettuce, what to serve them with, which sauces to emphasize and enrich their flavor? What is really worth knowing about lettuce …

What sauces are best to combine with different types of lettuce?

Specieslettucediffer in consistency - crispness and taste, which means that they should be combined with different types of sauces. Crispy and thick-leaved lettuces, such as iceberg and Roman lettuces, taste best with delicate vinaigrette sauces made with olive oil or flavored oils. However, they can also be combined with mayonnaise-based thick sauces (e.g. thousand island sauce, blue cheese, or anchovy sauce with Cesar salad). Delicate-leafed lettuces, such as arugula, lamb's lettuce or butter lettuce, should be served with light-texture sauces. It is worth paying attention to dressing, especially in the case of butter lettuce and lamb's lettuce, which have a slightly nutty flavor, which can be overwhelmed by an intense sauce. However, because of its strong taste, arugula should be combined with spicier sauces, for example based on spicy mustard. Remember to add the sauce to the lettuce just before serving. Otherwise, under the influence of acids and spices in the dressing, the lettuce leaves will soften.

Which types of lettuce taste best with other vegetables, and which with fruit or served alone as an addition to the main courses?

Different varieties of lettuce can be freely combined with other ingredients. They will taste equally good with vegetables: radishes, tomatoes or asparagus, and with fruit: strawberries, mangoes, orange or pears. The essence is dressing that combines these ingredients. For example, we are unlikely to combine the composition of lettuce and fruit with an intense garlic sauce. However, it should be noted that we can meet more and more often the fashion for unusual flavor combinations, as evidenced by, for example, Prosciutto crudo, in which s alty Parma ham is combined with the sweet taste of a melon.

What varieties of lettucescan we combine with each other in one salad, or which we should rather not serve together?

There is complete freedom here. In order for the salad to look colorful, it is worth combining different types of lettuce. Then their tastes complement each other.
It is worth mixing bitter-tasting lettuces, such as radicchio, with other varieties: iceberg salad, "oak leaf" lettuce, "lollo bianco" lettuce - together they will create an interesting flavor bouquet. What's more, the reddish radicchio will add an interesting color accent to the composition.

Which sauces are best suited to particular salads: vegetable, fruit, meat or seafood?

Compositions, the ingredients of which are grilled vegetables, marinated before grilling, will get their proper flavor with a dressing of delicate olive oil, garlic, capers, anchovies and Parmesan cheese. On the other hand, vegetable salads with poultry are perfectly suited for sauces based on mayonnaise or mustard.
When it comes to salads made of vegetables, with green lettuce at the forefront, with fruit, meat or seafood, we can compose them with any sauce. It is only worth paying attention to the time of day when we are going to eat the salad. If we plan to serve it for dinner, we can try mayonnaise - the dish will be more filling. However, to a salad eaten in the morning or evening, it is best to add sauces of olive oil, numerous flavored oils, vinegars, lemon juice, with the addition of herbs.

What kind of oil is used for making spring vegetable salad dressings?

We should use extra virgin olive oil for salads. Oils from different regions of the world have a different taste. Some may have aromas reminiscent of freshly cut grass, others are recognized by their slightly bitter nutty flavor. When choosing oil, you should take into account its transparency, which shows how it was made. It is best to choose oils that are not completely clear - they are naturally squeezed in the press and they taste the best.
Instead of olive oil, we can also use flavored oils. We have a really big selection here. We can, for example, reach for pumpkin seed oil - slightly earthy in taste with a dark green color. It tastes great when combined with white vinegars. We also appreciate linseed oil more and more. However, when using it in the kitchen, be careful - it oxidizes easily and becomes rancid, and then it cannot be eaten. You should also try walnut or hazelnut oil.

What can we use besides oil when making salad dressings?

Cream, yoghurt, thinned cream cheese, and even mixed vegetables and herbs will work great here,even pesto.

How can we prepare a vinaigrette at home?

If we want to make a classic vinaigrette, we need sunflower oil (100 ml), boiled water (100 ml), red wine vinegar (40 ml). For this, a spoonful of sugar, a pinch of s alt, a clove of garlic and herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley. We can use dried herbs.
We can also try a white vinaigrette, which is a combination of a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a teaspoon of mustard, white wine vinegar (40 ml) and boiled water (40 ml). We add a spoonful of sugar, a clove of garlic and of course the herbs, the same as in the case of the classic vinaigrette. It's a good idea to diversify the sauce by mixing different herbs together. A white vinaigrette will also taste great with fresh coriander or tarragon, also fresh.

How to spice up a classic vinaigrette?

It's a good idea to experiment with different herbs. You can also swap the vinegars used in the sauce or add other ingredients such as fresh ginger or nuts.

Which salads are best to use with Italian Balsamic Sauce?

Traditionally, balsamic sauce is added to the composition of tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella and basil. Importantly, spinach leaves sprinkled with it taste very good.

How to prepare a cucumber salad?

This is not a difficult task. It is enough to add 22% cream (we can also use yogurt in its place), add lemon juice, sugar, spices (s alt, pepper) and fresh dill.

What dishes do we use aioli sauce for?

Aioli sauce originating from the Balearic Islands is a combination of mayonnaise and garlic. It works perfectly as an addition to fish and seafood. You can also think of it as a garlic dip served with vegetables.

What ingredients should be used to prepare Greek salad dressing?

Classically, this dressing is made of a combination of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano and parsley.

What is the characteristic of wine vinegar, on the basis of which we can make salad dressings?

Depending on the region of origin, there are thousands of varieties of wine vinegar. Their price is not lower than the price of olive oil.
The most popular is the balsamic vinegar from Modena, which is prepared by almost every family in the region at home. It is made from the grape juice of the Trebbiano grape, which is thickened by cooking for a long time. The distinctive aroma of balsamic vinegar is the result of storage in barrels that can be kept for over 100 years. Over the years, the vinegar stored in them thickens as a result of evaporation. This is how a lotion is madeacetic. It is so valuable that it can cost 50 euros for 100 ml.

When is it best to add the sauce to a salad?

If lettuce is one of the ingredients of the composition, pour the sauce over it just before serving. Otherwise, the herbs and the oil will soften the lettuce leaves. A few minutes is enough for the lettuce to lose its crunchiness.
However, if you serve a salad made of other vegetables, meat or seafood, you can add the dressing earlier and mix it - then the flavors will taste.

We say that extra virgin olive oil is the best. What does this mean?

Oil is made by pressing crushed green fruit with seeds in a mechanical press. The olive oil with juice is centrifuged and then filtered. In this way, we get an oil with an acidity not exceeding 0.8%, which we call Extra Vergin Olive Oil. The olive pomace left over from the pressing of the fruit, however, still contains oil which is recovered by refining the remaining fruit. The resulting oil of a worse type. We don't use it in salads, but it works well for frying.

Category: