How To: Get Rid of the Greens Salad!

GRoG salad has been one of my favorite things to make. GRoG salad is what I make when we have lots of greens that are going to get bad soon. The key to the salad is that you will be using heat, dressing and of course, flavor; to your advantage.

Let's get started!

Step 1: Ingredients

Ingredients:

-Spinach*
-Lettuce*
-Celery
-Broccoli
-Most other Greens
-Tomatoes
-Fruits (Bell pepper, etc)
-Deli Meat
-Eggs
-Cheeses (Cottage, Ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, etc.)*
-Minced Garlic*
-Cesar Dressing*
-Olive or Vegetable Oil*
-Water

Tools:

-Spatula*
-Slotted Spoon
-Knifes*
-Sauce Pan
-Sauté Pan *
-Thermometer
-Cutting Board*
-Plates or Bowls*
-Small Glass Bowl

Heads Up(!): Lots of these ingredients are variable (dependent on what you have) which is why I didn't put any specific quantities. In the end, you end up with similar results.

* = These ingredients and tools are for the most part, necessary.

Step 2: Chopping

Chopping: The fair majority of making this dish is that it really requires lots of chopping. That said, you want to try and get equal cuts.

Before we start, I do ask everyone to wash their ingredients because I've heard that greens like spinach usually need lots of integrated pest management that may include lots of pesticides.

(Knife)
(Cutting Boards)
(Plates or Bowls)

1. Chop the (Lettuce) into ~1/4" strips.

2. Chop the (Spinach) into ~Thirds of the
leaves.

3. Chop the (Other Greens): Ingredients like Celery need to be chopped rather small. Leafy ingredients like Spinach should be chopped into large pieces like thirds of its self. Generally, the harder or rigid a green is, the more chopping it'll need.

4. Chop the (Tomatoes) in half then slices then half.

5. Chop the (Fruits) into slices. I could only think of Bell peppers.

6. Place the chopped lettuce on a (Plate or Bowl), and the harder greens like celery into their own and green leaves life spinach onto their own.

Step 3: Base Salad

Base Salad: This is the base layer of the salad that mostly consists of the lettuce.

1. Separate the chopped lettuce strips into a large bowl that will contain the GRoG salad.

2. Spread the tomatoes over the lettuce.

3. Sprinkle in (Cheeses) like Mozzarella and Parmesan.

Step 4: Cooking

Cooking: Now it is time to get heated about this salad. This is where the magic happens! If you are using eggs, you will also have another task.

1. If using eggs: In the (Sauce Pan), we are poaching the eggs. Pour about 2.5" of water into the pan. Keep heating until it reaches about 170*F on the (Thermometer).

1a. Once up to 170*F, you will want to turn down the heat if the water temperature was rising rather quickly. We want to achieve 190*F and stay consistent.

1b. Crack an (Egg) into the (Glass Bowl) and lay it into the water.

1c. Keep the 190*F constant and cook egg for about 5 minutes or until the egg is getting firm and the yolk is still runny.

1d. Remove the egg with the (Slotted Spoon) and you may place it onto the base salad.

2. Heat the (Sauté Pan) on medium heat and add about 2 Tablespoons or 2 Capfuls of (Oil). Then add the (Minced Garlic) for your liking. Keep pushing it over and around the pan with the (Spatula). You'll need to stir around the ingredients for the rest of the cooking.

3. Add the rigid greens like the celery into the pan once the garlic is sizzling and the air is aromatic.

4. Add the leafy greens like the spinach into the pan in thirds. Cover and add more spinach until the first load cooks down and develops a darker green color.

5. Add the (Deli Meats) by shredding them over the pan.

6. Add the (Cesar Dressing) in a thick drizzle over the pan. After you stir the dressing in, the scent might be a bit overpowering so wait for it to cool a little and the scent schools power down.

7. Add the (Cheeses) and stir those in. Keep on stirring the ingredients until the cheeses are completely melted and mixed in or you see the liquids collecting on the bottom of the pan.

8. Remove from heat and serve over the base salad.

Step 5: Serving

Serving: I served the GRoG salad in a big dish and mixed all the ingredients in together.

1. Mix all the cooked ingredients and the base salad together.

2. Add more Cesar dressing if needed.

3. May be enjoyed a bit hot, warm or cold.

4. Enjoy!

Step 6: Philosophy and Troubles

Philosophies and Troubles: I explain why this works and how I may have ran into some issues while making GRoG salad but I may offer solutions.

-Philosophy: GRoG salad works by throwing in greens into a pan and cooking them. I believe it releases their flavor and keeps down their accents. In the Sauté pan is also where we add most of the flavor which would also hint through and give the GRoG salad a creamy flavor.

-Poaching Eggs: I like poaching eggs because I love having the egg yolk run when you. Cut into it and it gives you simpler flavor. If you are like me, You had to use a small pot and struggle, one egg at a time. Sometimes those eggs over cooked and the yolk cooked. That's totally fine. Just break up the yolk.

-Pictures: They may have some oddities like a Lime, Chicken and Tortillas but I meant to use those for making a wrap. I had to hurry and make this salad so I never did use them.