QUICK TREATMENTS: Herbs, Greens & Lettuce
SALAD GREENS
Pestos for flavoring fried rice from (aging) greens/herbs
“Mesclun and other mixed salad greens are the bane of my existence. They age at different rates and one slimy little leaf can ruin a whole batch of otherwise fine lettuce. I've taken to sautéing old mesclun and using it as a green or in pasta dishes. Wilted herbs I turn into pestos. I just made a sesame and shiso pesto with garlic and ginger that I've been using to flavor fried rice.” (Mitchell Davis of James Beard Foundation, New York City)
Pesto from limp or fading salad leaves
"If the bottom of a salad bag (for example, watercress or rocket) is getting a little limp and the leaves faded, I’ll make a pesto out of it with basil, any nuts at all (like walnuts or hazelnuts) and olive oil." (Chef Richard Fox, Love Food Hate Waste Roadshow)
Storage tip for packaged salads:To extend the life of your salad sold in plastic bags, remove the leaves from the bag (because they tend to go damp and moldy inside plastic bags). Line a plastic container with paper towel sprinkled with cold water, put your salad inside, add another paper towel sprinkled with cold water on top and seal the container.
