I've been eating a lot of salads lately. One problem remains portability--how do you eat a salad on the run? A simple solution is to make a wrap out of it; but focus on the greens. In particular, use sharper greens such as arugela to help overcome some of the dampening affect of the tortilla. Below is one example. But there are lots of variations to try. Subtlety doesn't work so well here, so look for strong flavors.
Chef Salad Wrap
Ingredients:
1 large flour tortilla
1 tablespoon Italian dressing
2 slices of ham
1 slices of Provolone cheese
2 slices of salami
3 or 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
a large handful of mixed salad greens, preferable including bitter sharper greens such as arugula or friesse
Technique:
* Warm the tortilla for about 15 seconds a side in a hot skillet, then remove.
* Spread the dressing over the center of the tortilla.
* Arrange the meats in overlapping slices in the center of the tortilla
* Pile the salad greens on to the tortilla. Use more than you might think can fit. But leave some room at the edge nearest you.
* Fold the left side in just a bit. Then fold the bottom edge up. Finally keep rolling from the left. Squeeze down to compress the leaves. The goal is a lot of greens relative to the amount of protein, fat, and carbs in the rest of the ingredients.
Ceasar Salad Wrap
Romain is high on texture but weak on taste. It tends to disappear a bit within the confines of the wrap. The trick here is to alter the traditional balance of the salad to give it some punch. But I stuck to the traditional ingredient list, using the the "form" of the salad as a guide. This lets me throw in a few croutons, which is pretty silly on the face of it. Still they added another textual element.
Ingredients:
1 large flour tortilla
1 tablespoon Ceasar salad dressing
3 Romain lettuce leaves, torn into large pieces
5 or 6 large seasoned croutons
3 anchovy fillets
Freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano
Technique:
Same as above for the Chef Salad. The romaine leaves are bulkier than spring salad mix, so it may be more difficult to keep everything together. I use more cheese than I would for a plated salad. Still, do not overdo it. Salads, about all else, are about balance.