Mixt Salads

April 26, 2010
The founder and executive chef of San Francisco's boutique salad joint Mixt Greens, Swallow gives top billing to the humble salad in a collection that is by turns lush, lavish and imaginative, including signature dishes like the Park Ave (grilled chicken, herb-roasted fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus and Parmesan), its meaty mate the Bachelor (with Yukon Gold potatoes, filet mignon and Roquefort), the Tokyo (Kobe beef carpaccio with fried leeks) and the Grove (Honeycrisp apples, fennel, spiced walnuts and blue cheese). Organized by season, and prefaced with a guide to maximizing on-hand produce, this volume gives salad makers an imaginative push, though they may hit a wall trying to source key ingredients like aged sherry vinegar, sweetbreads, quail eggs, and hedgehog mushrooms. The salad-averse will appreciate the Porky-mixed greens, roasted butternut squash, pork tenderloin and port reduction-and Swallow's bunless Kobe beef cheeseburger, served atop butter lettuce. Though some may be disappointed in the selection of dressings, nearly all of which are vinaigrette variations, this is a vital, inspired and varied collection that even steak-and-potatoes fans can appreciate.

May 15, 2010
Swallow's San Francisco restaurant, Mixt Greens, and his first cookbook demonstrate his commitment to local, organic, and seasonal foods. He includes glossaries for meat, seafood, herbs, oils, and vinegars and a seasonal produce chart. Swallow, writing with Volkwein (Guy Fieri's coauthor), uses tuna, beef, squid, and eggs as well as fruits and vegetables to create inspired salads. Serve Bachelor (Filet Mignon with Roquefort and Red Leaf) to the man in your life who swears he doesn't like salad. A wonderful salad cookbook.

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