Six great salad recipes

Sunset, August, 1994 by Betsy Reynolds Bateson

Innovative Western cooks showcase regional ingredients

THE WESTERN COOKS we profiled on pages 82 through 87 combine regional produce and other top-quality ingredients in six salads you can try at home.

Grilled Garden Bounty Vegetable and Rice Platter

3/4 cup each wild rice and long-grain brown rice

4 medium-size (about 1 1/4 lb. total) zucchini, ends trimmed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

6 large (about 3 1/4 lb. total) ears corn

4 medium-size (about 2 lb. total) unpeeled red onions, halved lengthwise

4 large (about 3/4 lb. total) Asian eggplant, halved lengthwise

8 large (about 10 oz. total) fresh shiitake or large common mushrooms

8 boiled 2-inch-diameter (about 2 lb. total) red or purple thin-skinned potatoes, halved

5 large (about 2 1/2 lb. total) red or yellow bell peppers

Herb dressing (recipe follows)

Salt and pepper

2 cups (about 3/4 lb.) yellow or red pear-shaped or cherry tomatoes

Fresh fennel or basil sprigs (optional)

Pour wild rice into a fine strainer; rinse well. In a 5- to 6-quart pan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add wild and brown rice; cover and simmer until both rices are tender to bite, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain well.

Scatter 10 briquets over a solid bed of about 70 hot coals (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds). Place grill 4 to 6 inches above coals. If desired, run thin wooden skewers through zucchini slices to hold flat. Place zucchini, corn, and onions on grill. Cook, turning vegetables often. After corn cooks about 5 minutes, pull down husks and remove silk. Continue grilling corn until lightly browned, about 10 minutes more. Cook zucchini until lightly browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.

As you remove zucchini and corn, add eggplant, mushrooms, potatoes, and 4 of the peppers. Cook and turn vegetables until mushrooms and potatoes are lightly browned, about 15 minutes total; peppers are browned and soft when pressed, 15 to 20 minutes; eggplant are darkly browned and very soft when pressed, 15 to 25 minutes; and onions are somewhat soft, about 30 minutes. As vegetables are done, remove from grill; set aside. Halve and seed grilled peppers.

Cut kernels off 5 ears of corn; add to rice. Stem, seed, and dice remaining raw bell pepper. To rice, add 1 1/2 cups herb dressing, diced pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. (If making ahead, cover and let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours or chill up to 1 day, stirring occasionally.)

Mound rice salad on a large platter. Surround with grilled vegetables and drizzle with any remaining dressing. Garnish with remaining ear of corn, tomatoes, and fennel or basil sprigs, if desired. Serves 8.

--Andrea Bell, Pacific Palisades, California

Per serving: 489 cal. (29 percent from fat); 12 g protein; 16 g fat (2.1 g sat.); 82 g carbo.; 38 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Herb dressing. Mix 1 1/3 cups balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup thinly sliced garlic chives (or plain chives plus 1 clove garlic, pressed), 1/3 cup chopped shallots, 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or 3 tablespoons dried basil leaves, 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon (or regular) thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary. Makes about 2 cups.

Spicy Delta Salad

You will need about 7 pounds of live crayfish to get 1 1/2 pounds peeled, cooked tails for this recipe (directions follow). Or order 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen crayfish tails. Another option is to substitute shelled cooked tiny shrimp.

1 1/2 pounds (about 4 cups) peeled, cooked crayfish tails, thawed (if frozen), or shelled cooked tiny shrimp

Chili-lime vinaigrette (recipe follows)

2 cups long-grain rice, cooked and cooled

2 medium-size (about 6 oz. total) carrots, thinly sliced

2 medium-size (about 1/2 lb. each) bell peppers, 1 red and 1 yellow, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/4- by 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/3 cup minced fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves

About a dozen lettuce leaves, rinsed and crisped

8 whole crayfish (optional)

Mix crayfish meat with chili-lime vinaigrette; chill 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine rice, carrots, peppers, onions, mint, and cilantro. Stir in crayfish mixture. Cover; chill at least 2 hours or up until next day.

Line a large salad bowl with lettuce; fill with crayfish-rice mixture. Garnish with whole crayfish, if desired. Serve in smaller bowls. Serves 8.

--Annette Davis, Walnut Grove, California

Per serving: 385 cal. (23 percent from fat); 25 g protein; 10 g fat (1.4 g sat.); 47 g carbo.; 665 mg sodium; 152 mg chol.

Chili-lime vinaigrette. Mix together 1/3 cup each seasoned rice vinegar (or rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons sugar) and reduced-sodium soy sauce; 3 tablespoons each lime juice and Oriental sesame oil; and 2 to 3 tablespoons hot chili oil.

To cook crayfish. In a 10- to 12-quart pan over high heat, bring about 1 1/2 gallons water to boiling. Drop half of 7 pounds live crayfish into water. Cover and cook on high (boil may not resume) until tail meat is firm and opaque in center (pull off a tail to test), 7 to 8 minutes. Remove crayfish with slotted spoon. Bring water back to boil; repeat to cook remaining crayfish. Drain and cool. If desired, reserve 8 whole crayfish for garnish.