The Salad Bar

Good Morning.

The salad bar was a restaurant feature for many years, at least where I live, but it has declined in popularity. Some salad bars were simple and provided diners with the makings of a tossed salad that included greens, vegetables, trimmings like croutons, bacon bits, and cheese, and an assortment of dressings, all nicely labeled so you wouldn't ladle on the Roquefort

when you wanted Ranch. Other bars had main dish salads, a variety of breads, and two or three kinds of soup. A trucker could fill up his semi and himself at plenty of places on the highway. One fairly upscale restaurant in Sioux Falls is still known for a salad bar that many have for lunch instead of ordering off the menu. The offerings we present here will suffice for dinner. Lay them all out on a table or your kitchen counter with a stack of big plates and tell your guests to dig in.

GRILLED STEAK AND GORGONZOLA SALAD

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 sprig fresh rosemary

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. brown sugar

Olive oil

4 filets, 8 oz. each

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mixed salad greens

Crumbled Gorgonzola

Make a basting sauce of the vinegar, rosemary, minced garlic, and brown sugar. Heat these ingredients in a saucepan, then cool and discard the rosemary and garlic. Grill the steaks to desired doneness, basting frequently with the sauce. When done

to your desired doneness, bring to the counter and cut the filets into fairly thin slices. Place the greens in a bowl with a little olive oil, season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and toss. Add the steak pieces and as much crumbled Gorgonzola as you wish and toss again. Serve warm.

A friend and I used to patronize a steakhouse in college - when her father paid the tab - and we always ordered the tenderloin

tips, a Gorgonzola salad, and a basket of garlic bread. We still talk

about it, but it was the Gorgonzola that brought tears to our eyes.

It still does.

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE SALAD

1 navel orange

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. honey

Dash of kosher salt

1 pound shelled and deveined medium-sized shrimp

2 chorizo sausages, thinly sliced

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

8 cups mixed salad greens

1 avocado

3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Shredded Colby Jack cheese

Grate a teaspoon of orange zest from the orange and combine with the juice, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, and honey. Reserve 1/3 cup of this mixture for a dressing. Section the orange and set those pieces aside. With the rest of the orange juice mixture, marinate the shrimp for a couple of hours. Heat the olive oil and add the sausage slices and shrimp. Saute for about a minute. Add the marinade, chopped onion, and cook for 3 minutes more. Remove. In a bowl, toss the greens, avocado cut into nice slices, orange sections, fresh cilantro, and the dressing you reserved. Add the shrimp, sausage, and as much Colby Jack as you prefer, and toss again. Serve warm. If pressed for time, make either the steak or the shrimp salad but not both.

ORIENTAL COLE SLAW

1 head Napa cabbage

1 bunch green onions

Finely chop these ingredients and put in the fridge.

2 tbsp. butter

2 packages chicken-flavored Ramen noodles - remove flavoring and reserve

1 package slivered almonds

1 package sunflower seeds

Toss the noodles, almonds, and seeds in the butter in a large skillet. Cool and put in a container with a tight lid.

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

The flavoring from the Ramen noodles

Mix these items in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved and put in a jar. Just before serving, combine all the above everything.

My daughter-in-law takes the components of this salad, her creation, in baggies to other people's homes if the meal is a potluck. She assembles the salad when she arrives so that it goes to the table fresh and crunchy. I've had the leftovers the

next day when it was soggy and the sog tasted pretty good, but in its initial presentation form, it's sensational. Men love it.

CHICKEN AND RICE SALAD

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup uncooked wild and regular rice combination

1 cup sliced green onions

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup raspberry vinegar

Dash of salt and pepper

Your choice of greens

Cook the rice according to package directions and cool. Toast the chopped pecans in a small skillet and cool. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and cook the chicken until lightly browned. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake at 450 degrees

for 20 minutes. Remove and cool thoroughly. Cut into decent bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, rice, green onions, grapes, and pecans. Mix well. In a small glass bowl, combine the marmalade, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss

with the chicken mixture and refrigerate. Serve on a bed of greens.

There are more chicken salads out there than cars on the Los Angeles Freeway. Many use mayonnaise. This one does not.

THREE FRUIT CREAM SALAD

4 cups fresh cranberries

3 cups miniature marshmallows

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups Granny Smith apples

1/2 cup mandarin oranges from a can, drained

1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Place the cranberries in a food processor, cover, and process until finely chopped. Place in a large bowl and add the marshmallows and sugar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, peel and dice the apples and add with the

mandarin oranges to the cranberry mixture. Fold in the whipped cream. Resist the urge to use the whipped topping that comes in the container you later use for leftovers.

CAPRESE TOMATO PASTA SALAD

1 16 oz. box rotini, cooked according to package directions, drained, and cooled

1 8 oz. container grape tomatoes, cut in half

8 oz. fresh Mozzarella pearls

1/4 cup pesto, recipe follows

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Pesto, courtesy of the St. Joseph Cathedral Choir in Sioux Falls, SD

2 cups fresh basil

2 cups baby spinach

6 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Put the basil, spinach, and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil through the top and mix thoroughly. Add the Parmesan, pine nuts, salt, and pepper, and mix until you have a paste consistency.

To make the salad, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Save the rest of the pesto for future use. Place it in an ice cube tray and freeze. Remove a section as you need it.

The St. Joe choir folks of a decade ago got together once a year to make their pesto. They were a congenial bunch under a variety of circumstances, some holier than others. I have no idea whether the newer group makes pesto or merry, but I

believe it contributes to an excellent singing quality and recommend it to choirs everywhere.

Best regards,

Elisabeth