MIxed Greens Ideas, Radicchio, Arugula, Butter, Red leaf, Mesclum, Romaine, and Green Leaf Lettuce

Mix Greens

Mix your greens. It creates depth in a salad and keeps a green salad from being monotone, boring. Different lettuce's have differing flavors. Except iceberg lettuce, its very bland too me. 

Radicchio lettuce is one of my favorite leafy plants to place in a salad. It has a bitterness, which if too much is added, can be overwhelming. But just enough is perfect. I average about 5% Radicchio in some of my salads. Radicchio is not a lettuce, its related to the chicory plant. Its great grilled, with other vegetables, steak, or fish. It gives a dish some bite. When you look for Radicchio at your local store make sure its firm not limp. No soft spots, a good red & white color, and a tight ball which the leaves peal off. 

Arugula is another green with a lot of flavor. Its more peppery like black pepper. You can add more Arugula to a salad than Radicchio. Yet again, a salad which is 100% Arugula, is just as monotone as a salad which is 100% of any lettuce or leafy green. 

Butter Lettuce, Red leaf lettuce,  Mesclun, Romaine, Green Leaf Lettuce are all good bases for a mixed green salad. I usually make my salads 60% to 80% combination of these lettuce varieties. I consider the milder greens a base to my mixed green salads. It all depends on what's fresh at the market, in season,  or in the garden. I look for whats amazing, not just ok. 

We like living food, which carries life, love and other good feelings infused into the meal through the act of nurturing the essence of the ingredients. It can be done with care and nuance. Often after cleaning and washing lettuce, carrots, butter beans, what ever? I'll place the components in a bowl, add a pinch of salt slowly, a tablespoon of olive oil, a drop of vinegar, and mix and taste until the raw material reach a level of gastronomical ecstasy. If it is done correctly the ingredients on their own, should satisfy anyones palate. You are bringing out the natural flavors of great ingredients. 

Now I know we're ready to mix the remaining elements. If you tastes as you go, bringing the best out of everything, you'll never make a mess of things. I have a great deal of experience in the kitchen as a chef at fine establishments. Almost ever time I had something "go wrong" I forgot the basic rule, taste taste taste! Go watch a TV chef show, you'll see it played out again and again, by the best of them. They forget to taste what they're cooking. Never a good result. Now go into your kitchen and make something special!