two salad charts!

a base + something crunchy + something rich + the right dressing = a great salad

Jan 24, 2023

Okay ya’ll. I’m really into these charts!

I don’t plan for this to become exclusively a Chart Newsletter, but I’m offering two charts for salads this week because I love salads and make different salads all of the time and people always ask me how I make them. So here you go!

The first chart is for lettuce-ish salads:

A few notes from the dressing section:
S&P = salt and pepper
ACV = apple cider vinegar
Tbsp = tablespoon
For the classic Caesar - use the whole 2 oz can of anchovies, oil + all
for the vegan Caesar - the 2 tablespoons of capers should be drained

As you can see, I like a base of something with integrity (nothing super delicate here!) plus something crunchy for texture plus something rich to make the salad more substantial plus the a great dressing for the occasion which is like having the right jacket for the weather — another will do, but having the one you really need for the context makes a big difference.

This formula (base + crunchy thing + rich thing + dressing) unlocks so many salads. It opens you up not only to lettuce-based salads like the Caesars + chopped salads in the chart above, but also composed salads (like a classic Nicoise salad or a chef salads) and the entire world of non-lettuce salads. I’m talking grain salads, bean salads, tomato salads, avocado salads, cucumber salads, potato salads, and more. Your base, in other words, does not have to be lettuce! It can be anything. Just add crunch, richness, and dressing.

Here are some examples:

I hope this helps you if you’re in a salad rut or if you’ve ever felt a little mystified by how delicious salads come together. Remember: anything can be a salad!

If you’d like to hear more my thoughts on salad (including the intersection of salads + diet culture), you can revisit my Pizzeria Salad missive from last year — see here!

Keep Calm & Cook On

Pizzeria Salad

I recently got to talk to Emily Christensen for a piece she wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer about the intersection of diet culture and salads: “Once a ‘meal of deprivation,’ these cooks are reclaiming salad from diet culture’s clutches.” She begins this piece: “Like a lot of fat people, I have a complicated relationship with salad…

a year ago · 8 likes · Julia Turshen

No class this coming Sunday! I’ll be on a trip. I’ll be back here next week though with something for you…maybe another chart, maybe something else! The possibilities!

Take good care xo, Julia