Lettuce in Your Kitchen: Flavorful and Unexpected Main-Dish Salads and Dressings

Schlesinger and Willoughby (The Thrill of the Grill) dazzle with this array of salads and dressings varied in texture, color and flavor. There are simple salads with few ingredients (Cary's Leaf Lettuce Salad with Orange, Fennel and Red Onion, tossed with a briny green olive dressing) and fancy salads featuring special-occasion ingredients such as lobster, shiitakes or foie gras. Unexpected combinations occur in Oak Leaf Lettuce with Grilled Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus, served with cashews and an orange-dill-sour cream dressing, or Mixed Cabbage Salad with Poached Shrimp and Hearts of Palm and a dressing made with avocado, cilantro, cumin seeds and lime. Beginning chapters include a glossary of 25 greens, another glossary for general-use ingredients and a guide to choosing, cleaning and substituting greens. Chapters range from Salads for the Perfect Tomato through Main Course Salads to Salads for a Crowd. Substitute greens are suggested for each recipe, as are additional uses for the dressing. Although it wouldn't work for a title, the authors spin a thrill into salads too, transforming a usually familiar course into an inventive, unexpected eating experience. (July)