A Good Day for Salad (Paperback)

~ Jeannette Ferrary (Author), (Author) "FRUITY, peppery, lush, grassy, robust, herbaceous, sweet, assertive, earthy-these words describe the desirable effects of olive oil..." (more)
Key Phrases: whisk all dressing ingredients, salted simmering water, cup imported black olives, San Francisco, Evan Jones, Middle Eastern (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's unlikely the Pilgrims served a green salad on the first Thanksgiving. Authors Louise Fiszer and Jeanette Ferrary point out in the introduction to A Good Day for Salad that this particular course in a meal didn't begin to rise in popularity outside the upper crust of society until the turn of the century--the 20th century. And it's not as though lettuce is something new. Romaine sounds like Roman for good reason.

Fiszer and Ferrary respect the way salad has changed through the years, and how our own dining attitudes can change when we start building salads with a longer list of ingredients than is, well, traditional. Good old Waldorf Salad, for example, is now over 100 years old. The authors, never afraid to make a few improvements along the way, cut the mayo with yogurt while adding a little fresh fennel, watercress, and sprinkles of blue cheese.

A surprisingly dour-looking book, A Good Day for Salad is filled with bright, luscious inspiration. Some of these salads cry out for decent illustration (Melon, Mango, and Mint Salad with Prosciutto Strips, for example), but the reader will have to use the visual imagination the publisher left in a drawer.

There are bite-sized salads to try, such as Artichoke Bottoms filled with Corn Salad, and starter salads, such as Shredded Beets and Apples on Arugula (the dressing includes cream, lemon and orange juice, honey, and mint). There are "Folk Salads" (Salade Niçoise) and "Party Salads" (Caponata on Crisp Romaine Leaves), "Picnic Salads" (Herbed Potato Salad with Crispy Bacon and Sweet Peas) and "Dinner in a Bowl Salads" (Red Snapper and Black Bean Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette). Other chapters take dieting into account, and all the little goodies that are so much fun to sprinkle on salads.

This slim book is 150 recipes deep. With A Good Day for Salad in hand, the question of whether to serve salad at the beginning of the meal or the end of the meal is going to change. Having made the salad, cooks are going to wonder what else they should serve. Dessert perhaps? --Schuyler Ingle

Product Description

The authors get creative, offering a intriguing array of starter salads, party salads, picnic salads, and dessert salads, as well as classics and ingenious new takes on old favorites. 2-color throughout.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811819914
• ISBN-13: 978-0811819916
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Salads for all Seasons and Reasons, January 4, 2000

By A Customer

LOTS of good ideas for salads used as side dishes, main dishes, and appetizers. Many less- than-common ingredients, but nothing so challenging that it isn't doable by an average cook. Recipes are written in an odd list format, followed by dressings, so they can be a bit confusing, and there are no illustrations, but otherwise this book definitely fills a niche, and does it well.