Bringing Back the Salad

The '80s and '90s were a rough time for salads.  In those decades of unnecessary excess we dressed them up, drenched them down, and denied them the simplicity that made them great.  As for lettuce, what we did to that poor leaf was no less than a crime against nature.  This is all about going back to basics...not the easiet thing to do since they've been all but forgotten.
As always, there are a few things to remember when preparing a salad.  Above all, lettuce hates violence, so be gentle with it...even as you rip it to shreds.  Now, there are two main categories of greens we can use in a salad:  mild, sweet greens, such as romaine, bibb and butter; and mean greens, like chicory, watercress, radicchio, and arugula.  The art in constructing a salad is to find the right mix of sweet and mean greens, crating a balance of flavor and texture.
When shopping for lettuce, look for blemish-free heads with bright colors and crisp leaves.  No slimy spots. Heavily ribbed heads, such as romaine and loose-head raddichios, should stand up straight without any signs of cracks along the ribs.  After harvest, lettuces, like most greens, go on metabolizing nutrients and respiring.  We want to limit these activities by suspending the leaves' animation, so to speak.  Throroughly clean leaves in a sink full of cold water, allowing dirt and debris to sink to the bottom.  Then use a salad spiner to dry the greens, wrap them in paper towels, and stash them in a zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible; this will lead to a longer fridge life.
Now we come to dressings, the classic of these being....that's right, a vinagrettte composed of three parts oil to one part vinegar.  The problem being, of course, oil and vinegar don't get along.  The oil wants to spread out and coat everything, while the vinegar wants to bead up and roll away.  We can force the two together, temporarily, by breaking the vinegar into tiny droplets that are suspended in the oil, but they'll come back together and sink to the bottom.  Keeping a vinagrette together requires the use of an emulsifying agent such as finely ground garlic or egg yolk.  Vinagrettes can also be emulsified with pureed vegetables or even peas such as lentils.
To make my vinagrette I use a cocktail shaker with one tiny addition.  I drop two smooth, small pebbles into the shaker to better aid in the emulsification process, but you can use stainless-steel ball bearings if you don't trust pebbles.
Here's my favorite vinagrette recipe.
You'll need:
Hardware:  1-pint canning jar or cocktail shaker
Software:  1/4 cup red wine vinegar
                 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
                 2 cloves garlic, smashed
                 1 heavy pinch of salt
                 1 pinch black pepper
                 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1)  Put the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper into your canning jar or shaker and shake to combine.
2)  Add the oil and shake vigorously until the dressing emulsifies and thickens into a creamlike consistency.
3)  Leave the dressing alone for 1 hour at room temperature to let the flavors mellow, then strain out the garlic and shake again to re-emulsify.  The dressing can be refrigerated but always bring it to room temperature before serving.
Now we come to the Caesar Salad.  It is an elegaant dish, but I warn you, it contains raw eggs, so eat at your own risk.  (I eat it a lot, and I've never had a problem)  But, if you don't trust your megamart's supply of eggs or you can't get them fresh from the farm, just buy some pasteurized eggs.
You'll need:
Hardware:  half-sheet pan
                  2 quart saucepan
                  motar and pestle (or you can improvise)
                  fine-mesh sieve
                  12-inch saute pan
                  prepared ice-water bath in a small bowl
                  a very large bowl
                  tongs
Software:  8 ounces day-old Italian bread (about half a loaf)
                 3 cloves garlic, mashed
                 1/2 teaspoon (and a pinch) of salt
                 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
                 2 large eggs at room temperature
                 2 heads (1 pound total) romaine lettuce hearts
                 7 grinds black pepper
                 1/2 small lemon, juiced
                 1/2 tespoon Worcestershire sauce
                 4 ounces Parmesean cheese (freshly grated, if you can)
1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2)  Cut the bread into 3/4 inch cubes and spread on a half sheet pan.  Bake until thoroughly dry but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes.  Set aside (ta da, croutons)
3)  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan.
4) Meanwhile, place garlic and 1/2 tsp. of salt into a motar and mash with pestle to make a paste.  Add 4 tblsp. of oil to the paste and mash to combine.  Pour oil through the sieve into a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat.  Add croutons and saute, tossing constantly until all the oil is absorbed and croutons turn gold, approximately 5 minutes.  Set aside.
5)  Add the eggs (in shells) to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute.  Immediately transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking.  Set aside.
6)  In a very large bowl, tear the lettuce and toss, using tongs, with 2 tblsp. of oil.
7)  Sprinkle with remaning salt and pepper.  Add the remaining oil and toss well.
8)  Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, and break in the eggs.  Toss until a creamy dressing forms.  Toss in the Parmesean cheese and serve topped with croutons.
Well, I certainly hope this small discourse has pulled you out of the salad daze and into the light.  Salads shouldn't be drenched in dressings, but should be enjoy for what they are:  culinary masterpieces.