Salad bowl meal for four - recipes

Sunset, Sept, 1990

A study in complements, each of these artful arrangements combines a grilled meat with vegetables, fruit, or grain; a distinctive dressing adds the finishing touch. Serve as a main-dish salad for four on a hot September day. For convenience, you can grill meats and prepare many parts of the salads ahead. A wide, shallow bowl or rimmed platter shows off ingredients best. You can add seasonings and mix the salad, or let guests design their own salads and add dressing to taste. Fruit and Barley Beef Salad

1 pound boneless lean beefsteak,

such as eye of the round, cut 1

inch thick; or 1 pork tenderloin,

to I pound, trimmed of fat 1/2 cup slivered almonds

cup pearl barley, rinsed and

drained

3 cups regular-strength chicken broth

2 heads (about 1 1/2 lb. total) butter

lettuce, rinsed and crisped

Orange dressing (recipe follows)

2 cups seedless grapes, halved

1 cup pitted dried prunes, cut into

1/2-inch pieces

1 cup thin, diagonally cut celery slices

2 cups (3 oz.) loosely packed

watercress, rinsed and crisped

Salt Place meat on a grill, 4 to 6 inches above a solid bed of hot coals (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds). Cook, turning to brown evenly, until beef is browned on both sides but still pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 15 to 20 minutes total. Or cook pork until no longer pink in thickest part (cut to test), about 25 minutes. Let cool. If made ahead, cover and chill up until next day. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, stir almonds over medium-low heat until toasted, about 8 minutes. Pour out nuts. Add barley and broth to pan. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer until tender to bite, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool. If made ahead, cover nuts and barley; chill barley up until next day. Line a wide, shallow serving bowl with lettuce. Thinly slice meat and arrange in about 1/3 of the bowl. Moisten meat with about I tablespoon of the orange dressing. Mix barly with half the remaining dressing and mound in bowl beside meat. Mix grapes, prunes, celery, watercress, and remaining dressing; mound mixture in bowl. Mix, or let guests take some of each element. Offer toasted almonds and salt to add to taste. Serves 4. Mrs. L.K. Ross, Elk Grove, Calif. Per serving: 754 cal.; 39 g protein; 30 g fa t; 88 g carbo.; 167 mg sodium; 61 mg chol. Orange dressing. Mix together 1/3 cup thawed frozen orange juice concentrate, cup salad oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Turkey, Cantaloupe, and Cucumber Salad 1 1/4 pounds turkey breast tenderloins

(fillets)

Honey marinade (recipe follows) 1 medium-size (2 1/2 to 3 lb.)

cantaloupe

Lettuce leaves, rinsed and crisped

(optional) 1 medium-size (about lb.)

European cucumber, thinly sliced

Lime wedges (optional)

Fresh basil sprigs (optional) 1/2 cup minced fresh basil leaves

cup thinly sliced green onion

Salt and pepper Rinse turkey and pat dry. Pour 1/2 cup marinade into a plastic food bag; add turkey, seal bag, and rotate to coat with marinade. Set bag in a pan and chill 30 minutes or up until next day; turn it over occasionally. Reserve remaining marinade; cover and chill up until next day. Lift turkey from marinade and discard liquid. Place turkey on a grill 4 to 6 inches above a solid bed of medium coals (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds). Basting with about 2 tablespoons reserved marinade and turning often, cook until turkey is white in thickest part (cut to test), about 20 minutes. Let cool. If made ahead, cover and chill up until next day Meanwhile, seed and peel cantaloupe; cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges, Line about 1/3 of a wide, shallow serving bowl with lettuce leaves; pile cantaloupe wedges onto lettuce. Thinly slice turkey and arrange beside melon. Arrange cucumber slices between meat and melon. Garnish with lime wedges and basil sprigs. Add minced basil and green onion to remaining marinade. Mix with salad or let guests select salad elements, adding marinade to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4. Per serving:279 cal; 36g protein; 6.6g fat; 20g carbo.; 114 mg sodium; 88 mg chol Honey marinade. Mix together 1/2 cup each seasoned rice vinegar (or 1/3 cup cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons water) and lime juice, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and 1 tablespoon each honey and hot chili oil (or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne). Per tablespoon: 36cal; 0g protein; 3.7g fat; 1.2 g carbo.. 1.7 mg sodium; 0 mg chol. Steak and Potato Salad

6 medium-size (about 11/2 lb. total)

thin-skinned potatoes

2 medium-size (about 1/2 lb. total)

carrots

Marinated beef (recipe follows)

Garlic sauce (recipe follows)

1 each small green and red bell

pepper

1 head (about 1/2 lb.) romaine lettuce,

coarse leaves discarded, rinsed

and crisped

cup finely diced red onion

Salt

Coarsely ground pepper

Scrub potatoes well, then put them in a 5 - to 6-quart pan. Add water to cover potatoes.

Cover pan and bring water to boiling

over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer

until potatoes are very tender when

pierced, 35 to 40 minutes. Lift potatoes

from water with a slotted spoon and let

cool; if made ahead, cover and chill up