The Wedge

The wedge is my most favorite of the salads. The old standards are quite often the best! I really am a 1950’s housewife in my heart. Honestly, it is the most basic of salads but it can still be fancy. We have talked about this before. We have grilled romaine and radicchio, we have used all the varieties of bacon, ham and salami. We have tried a variety of bleu cheese plus some others. We have tried all the onions, shallots, scallions and chives. I have been going thru my Cooks Illustrated collection and I stumbled across a version that I had tried and loved. I even made their dressing. They also go for a pickled shallot so I will include that recipe as well. This one has a few steps and things so get comfy. I do promise that not all of my cooking will be so on book. I’ve been flummoxed by the micro kitchen, but no more!

The lettuce. Always iceberg! Always quartered with the stem left on. It can be trimmed if it’s too woody but if it’s removed the lettuce will fall apart. Keep it in the fridge until it’s time to serve. I don’t even slice it until it’s time to plate. I have tried romaine, radicchio and butter lettuce. I have grilled them, broiled them, sizzled them in a skillet but nothing beats fresh iceberg.

The tomatoes. The magazine calls for plum or roma but any tomato will do. I like the little cherry tomatoes, the yellow and orange ones are my current obsession. Plum tomatoes are easier for getting all the seeds out. You don’t want water making things soggy. They don’t always have the best flavor, though. I am more concerned with the flavor than the water content.

The dressing. You can use your favorite brand of pre-made bleu cheese dressing or make your own. As bleu cheese gets crumbled on top and we all have mayo and sour cream, we may as well make our own. The recipe calls for Roquefort. It is on the more pungent end of the bleu scale so if you don’t want all the funk go for the Gorgonzola.

1/2 cup each of crumbled cheese, sour cream and mayo

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce-Tabasco, Cholula or Louisiana style

salt and pepper to taste

This dressing is fairly thick and won’t pour over the lettuce. It has to kind of be dolloped on and that isn’t my favorite. The high water content of the lettuce and the tomatoes will help it loosen up during the eating. I add a bit of bacon fat to mine to help smooth it out. I also use Worcestershire sauce and ancho chili powder instead of the hot sauce.

The bacon. Thick cut bacon is best here. It can be cooked down a little longer and will still be crisp. Packaged bacon bits are perfectly OK. Peppered or smoked or whatever flavor of bacon you like.

The shallot or onion. Sometimes the crisp, raw bite of a red onion. Vidalia is an excellent choice, especially during peak season. White onion can be too much and yellow can be too little. This recipe calls for pickling a shallot. It could also be used raw if you are feeling lazy.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 shallots, thinly sliced

Combine the vinegar and sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the shallots and stash in the fridge until serving time.

For the plating, I keep the salad bowls in the freezer. I leave them in for a couple of hours so they are good and cold. I slice the lettuce at serving time as well so it keeps its crunchy beauty. Place the quarter of lettuce in the middle of the bowl, add the dressing and then the toppings. The thickness of the dressing will help hold them in place a bit but they will scatter at the first slice. I always over top, I love all the bits! I will sometimes use a different variety of cheese for the topping than in the dressing. We are big fans of cheese. Even the dog likes a funky bleu! This recipe also calls for fresh chives as a topping. I am a lazy shopper so I don’t often have chives but I always have scallions. I know we have the pickled shallot but a fresh crunch is always nice.

The wedge is a classic and easily adaptable salad. Go wild! Try any lettuce and combination of toppings. No matter how far you stray, try to go back to the old standard occasionally.

Enjoy your kitchen!