Pasta Salad

Every time you say "Pass the salad," Amy says, "Pasta salad? We don't have pasta salad!"

But we could.

Norm doesn't like pasta salad,  but he might eat it if it has an olive oil dressing and you heat it up first.

• 1 lb. pasta, cooked according to package directions
• 4 cups chopped broccoli
• 1/3 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 8 slices of cooked, chopped bacon
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp sugar (optional)
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook, drain, cool pasta.
2. In salad bowl, add raw broccoli, onion, skunflower seeds, bacon, feta cheese (and cranberries if using).
3. Add cooled pasta, toss to combine.
4. In smaller bowl, cobine vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper. Whisk. Taste.
5. Whisk in sugar if desired.
6. Add to pasta mixture, toss, refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Noodle Salads

3 cups uncooked medium noodles (4 oz) makes 2-1/2 cups cooked.

Big Spicy Ramen Noodle Salad

Serves 10

Cook as per package directions:

• 4 packages (70 g or 2.5 oz each) Ramen noodles

Drain and refrigerate until cool.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2-3 Tbsp water

Salad:

• 2 cups shredded pruple cabbage
• 1-1/2 cups matchstick carrots
• 1 cup yellow pepper, sliced
• 1 cup red pepper, sliced
• 1 cup cucumber matchsticks or spirals
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Whisk all dressing ingredients except water in a bowl or blend in a blender until smooth.

Add water only to thin the dressing, as needed.

Toss together all salad ingredients.

Lightly mix in cold noodles.

Drizzle with desired amount of dressing, toss to combine.

Top with garnishes (fresh herbs, almonds).

Noodle Salad for Six

• 8 oz rice stick noodles
• 8 oz bean thread noodles
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, cut into matchstick pieces
• 2 cups cooked chicken meat, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1/4 lb. (125 grams) snow peas, trimmed 
• 2 cups diced Napa (Chinese) cabbage
• 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 green onions, chopped

Break dry noodles into 6 inch pieces.

Cover generously with cold water.

Soak 15 minutes. 

Drain well.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.

Add garlic, ginger, hot pepper flakes, onion.

Stir and cook.

Add carrot and chicken, cook a few minutes more.

Stir in noodles, combine well.

Add remaining vegetables and stock.

Cook 10 minutes.

Stir in oyster sauce and seasame oil, cook 1 minute.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.

Serves 6-8.

Noodle Salad for Two

Combine in a bowl:

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp mirin OR 1/2 Tbsp water + 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp chili oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 green onion bottom (white part) chopped

Add:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu OR 2 large cooked chicken breasts, cut in chunks

Chill 15-30 minutes.

Cook according to package directions:

• 2 servings of Soba noodles or rice noodles

Remove noodles from cooking water with slotted spoon and rinse with cold water, agitating noodles as you rinse.

*If packaged noodles includes broth mixture, reserve liquid (see below) for broth.

In a bowl, toss noodles with:

• 1 tsp oil or sesame oil

Wash and prepare:

• 1 red bell pepper, slice thin
• 1 carrot, slice thin or grate
• 1 green onion, chopped (green part)
• 1 cup broccoli crowns
• 2 cups baby spinach

Heat sesame oil in a pan.

Add spinach, cook 3-4 minutes or until wilted.

Sprinkle with:

• sesame seeds

Transfer spinach to a plate to cool.

In same pan, add broccoli crowns and 1/4 cup water.

Steam with lid on 4 minutes or until bright green, still crunchy.

Transfer to plate with spinach to cool.

In same pan, add tofu or chicken and marinade.

Cook on medium 7-8 minutes or till slightly browned, tofu is crispy on outside.

*Meanwhile, prepare broth:

• 1 cup vegetable broth or ramen broth
• 2 Tbsp mirin OR 1 Tbsp water plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or to taste
• sesame seeds for garnish

Assembly:

Add 1/4 cup of broth to each bowl.

Add noodles, then veggies, tofu or chicken.

Top with green onions and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Sprinkle with extra chili oil for extra heat.

Put extra broth in small side bowls for dipping.

Optional garnish:

• seaweed salad
• pickled ginger

Caesar Salad

If you don't have anchovies, try adding smoked oysters to the food processor instead, or use Julia Child's recipe.

Caesar Salad like Julia's

I read that Julia Child learned to make this salad from Caesar Cardini's daughter, Rosa. Other articles said Caesar Cardini used about 6 anchovy fillets  (see the recipe that follows) plus lime juice instead of lemon juice. But this is supposedly the way Julia Child made it.

• 2 large heads romaine
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced in a garlic press
• salt
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups unseasoned croutons
• 1 lemon
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (1 oz) freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• worcestershire sauce

Strip romaine leaves carefully from stalks, wash leaves gently.

Shake dry, roll loosely in clean towel, refrigerate.

Mash garlic till smooth with a spoon.

Add 1/4 tsp salt and 3 Tbsp oil.

Strain into medium-size frying pan.

Heat till just warm.

Stir in croutons about a minute over moderate heat.

Put toasted croutons in a bowl.

Squeeze lemon juice into a bowl

Boil eggs exactly 1 minute.

Put romaine leaves in a large salad bowl.

Pour 4 Tbsp olive oil over romaine, toss.

Sprinkle on 1/4 tsp salt, 8 grinds of pepper, 2 more Tbsp oil, toss.

Pour on lemon juice, 6 crops Worcestershire sauce, break in eggs.

Toss twice.

Sprinkle on cheese.

Toss once.

Sprinkle on croutons.

Toss twice.

Arrange 6-8 salad leaves on each cold plate, stems out.

Place croutons on the side.

Salad leaves are cut with a knife and fork to eat.

Caesar Salad for Six like Sardini's

Easy to make in a food processor. If making this by hand, keep whisking while adding oil and other liquid ingredients in a thin stream, like you would if making mayonnaise. 

• 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled.
• 6-8 anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin oil oil
• 4-5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (or lime juice)
• 1 small egg
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large head romaine lettuce
• Croutons (recipe follows)

The Day Before:

Separate leaves from a large head of romaine lettuce, discarding the tough stem end and stripping the woody stem ends from the bottoms of the leaves.

Rinse individual leaves thoroughly, let drain in a strainer.

Refrigerate leaves, wrapped in a dishtowel, overnight.

Day of, Make Skillet Croutons:

This may be done several hours ahead of serving.

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 5 slices day-old bread, crusts removed, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

Melt butter and oil in a large skillet.

Stir in minced garlic and herbs.

Stir in bread cubes, fry until lightly browned.

Remove with spatula to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Let cool.

Day of, Make Dressing:

Mince 2 peeled garlic cloves.

Add anchovies. Mince.

Add mustard, salt, pepper. Combine.

With food processor motor running, (or while continuously whisking) add oil in a thin stream until thickened.

Add lemon juice and egg. Combine (turn on motor a few seconds).

Makes 1-1/4 cups of dressing. If making ahead, refrigerate dressing in a jar with a lid. Whisk again before serving.

Caesar Salad Assembly:

Rub the interior of a very large salad bowl with 1 peeled clove of garlic.

Tear washed, dry lettuce leaves into large pieces and place in bowl.

Pour on dressing, toss.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, toss again.

Top with croutons.

Serve immediately and pass the pepper mill.

Greek Yogurt Caesar Dressing

A little lighter, there are many variations of skinny Caesar Salad Dressing online. This one, made by chef Jamie Oliver, makes enough dressing for one large head of romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces.

• 3 cups low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. divided.
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce.

Whisk in oil, then half of the cheese.

Whisk in salt and pepper.

Toss lettuce with half of the dressing.

Garnish with remaining cheese.

Serve salad with remaining dressing in a separate bowl, in case diners want to use more.

Silver Rail Caesar Salad

The Silver Rail Restaurant was popular in the '50s, when it opened on Yonge St. in Toronto. Decades later, Joseph Ferrara's recipe for Caesar Salad was featured in Toronto food writer Mary McGrath's "Chefs Showcase" in the Toronto Star. The Caesar Salad was prepared fresh at the table in a big wooden bowl...and now you can make it in that vintage wooden salad bowl you inherited but never use! The Silver Rail closed in 1998, so you can't get this anywhere but your own kitchen.

•  salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. prepared hot mustard
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 dashes Tabasco sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 4 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp. croutons

Sprinkle salt and pepper in a wooden bowl.

Using a large serving fork, crush garlic and anchovy fillets into a smooth paste in bowl.

Mix in egg yolk, mustard, Worcestershire and tabasco sauces, plus lemon juice.

Stir mixture slowly with a mixing spoon, adding oil slowly.

Continue stirring until dressing becomes thick and smooth.

Stir in vinegar.

Makes 1 cup.

Take washed and dried lettuce, cut into 1-inch pieces.

Add to the large serving bowl holding the dressing.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and croutons.

Toss and serve.

Lentils

Lentil Salad

1-1/4 cups green lentils
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
black pepper
1/2 medium radicchio
2 oz. shaved pecorino cheese or goat cheese
2/3 cups chopped fresh basil
2/3 cups chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup honey-glazed walnuts

Cover lentils with water in a medium saucepan.
Add bay leaves.
Simmer about 15 minutes or till tender.
Drain lentils. Discard bay leaves
Return lentils to pan.
In a small bowl whisk till combined: vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 tsp. salt, pinch pepper.
Stir mixture into hot lentils, let cool slightly.

Pour 1/4 cup oil into a frying pan and place on high heat.
Cut radicchio into 8 wedges, place in hot oil, sprinkle with salt.
Cook 1 minute each side.

In a large bowl toss gently: lentils,  radicchio, walnuts, cheese, herbs.
Add seasonings to taste.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

Lentil Stew

• 2 cups dry green lentils, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed, roughly chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 cups dried mushrooms whole or broken up
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 sprig rosemary
• 6-8 cups vegetable broth
• hot mashed potatoes 
• 200 g hard cheese (Grana Padano)
• 2 cups arugula
• olive oil to drizzle
• chili flakes
• garlic bread (optional)

Rinse lentils, set aside.

In a large braising pot on medium heat, add oil and butter.

Add shallots and garlic. Cook 5 minutes until tender

Add celery, carrots, mushrooms, cook 5-7 minutes.

Add thyme, rosemary, 6 cups vegetable broth.

Bring to boil and turn down to simmer.

Cook 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender, adding more stock if necessary.

Once lentils are tender, add 3 Tbsp mashed potatoes to thicken (optional)

Serve stew with mashed potatoes in a bowl.

Garnish with arugula, grated cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, chili flakes.

Serve with garlic bread.

Lentil Soup

This recipe is from a collection put together by a Hadassah chapter in Columbia, Missouri.

2 cups dried lentils

2 quarts water

2 tsp salt

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, diced

pepper to taste

Wash and drain lentils.

Place in a 4-quart pot with water and salt.

Bring to a boil.

Add carrots, onion, celery.

Cover, reduce heat, simmer until lentils are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Strain soup, reserving liquid in pot.

Puree vegetables and return to pot with liquid.

Reheat and add pepper to taste.

Serves 10, 140 calories per serving.

Honey-Glazed Walnuts

Serve alone, place a walnut on top of goat cheese on a cracker, or toss in a salad.

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp. water

pinch salt

1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine to make a thick paste: honey, red pepper flakes, turmeric, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp water. Add walnuts, stir to coat.

Spread out on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Roast at 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, stirring once.

Nuts should be crunchy and dry but still sticky.

Brady's Grandpa's Caesar Salad

Dave's friend Brady's Grandpa lives in Port Perry, Ontario. This is his recipe.

In a big salad bowl, mix after each addition:

• 4-5 peeled, crushed garlic cloves (or 1 tbsp minced garlic from a jar)
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• oil drained from a small tin of anchovies
• the anchovies, cut into small pieces

In a small bowl, mix:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Add egg mixture to garlic mixture in large bowl and mix together well.

Whisk in:

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaping tsp Dijon mustard
• Parmesan cheese
• fresh ground pepper

Tear washed romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces

Add croutons

Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese to taste

Toss well

"Enjoy!

Love, Grandpa."

Rice Salads

Potluck Rice Salad

Fast to prepare if you have a food processor to grate and chop the vegetables.

Stores well, good to take to a picnic or potluck.

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup chopped green onions plus chopped white tails
• 1/2 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1 tsp. celery seed

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 6 tsp. rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 tsp. soya sauce

Mix rice, onions, celery, carrots, green pepper, celery seed in a large bowl.

Combine ingredients for sauce in a small glass jar or plastic container with lid and shake well.

Pour sauce over rice mixture and mix well.

Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Mix again, well, after removing from fridge.

Georgian Bay Brown Rice Salad

A player from Norm's hockey team invited us to his Georgian Bay beach house.
The children were excited to be there because his wife was a famous children's book illustrator.

They soon forgot the books when they saw the view from the house, that was built on a cliff overlooking the choppy water. It was a long walk from the house down a steep sandy trail to the beach and the waves that day were high and cold.

We stayed close to the shore, jumping in the shallows, but were all pleasantly exhausted and excited when we got back to the house.

To my surprise, my kids, who were fans of mini pizzas and Kraft dinner, gobbled the curried rice at the buffet.

The illustrator was nice enough to write out the recipe and give it to me that day. Here it is.

Serves 6-8

• 1 cup cooked peas (use an 8 oz can of of green pigeon peas or black-eyed peas, or lightly steam frozen peas)
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
• two 4-1/2 oz tins small shrimp OR dice the meat of 2 skinless, deboned chicken breasts OR omit shellfish/meat
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook the brown rice, then toss the cooked rice with the peas, shrimp or chicken, onions, celery, almonds and parsley in a large bowl.

Chill in the fridge.

Make the dressing:

• 1/2 cup canola, sunflower or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp. curry powder
• 3 tbsps. lemon juice
• 3 tsp. soy sauce
• 3 tsp. honey

Whisk the dressing in a bowl or blend in a blender.
Chill in the fridge ten minutes, whisk again.
Combine with the rice mixture (use less dressing, to taste, if omitting the shrimp or meat.)
Serve immediately or chill until serving. 

Chinese Wild Rice Salad

• 1/3 cup wild rice
• 1/3 cup jasmine rice
• 2 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 lime, peeled and segmented
• ¼ cup sliced mint leaves
• ¼ cup coriander leaves
• 1-1/2 tbsp lime juice
• 1-1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

Cook wild rice and jasmine rice in separate small saucepans of boiling water according to package directions.

Drain.

Rinse under cold water.
Drain again.
Place rice in a bowl with mandarin and lime segments, mint and coriander.
Combine lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and white pepper.
Add  to rice and toss to combine.

Northern Italian Salad for Four

• 12-16 slices prosciutto or bresaola
• 4 oz arugula
• 4 oz cherry tomatoes
• 4 lemon wedges
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Arrange 3-4 slices of meat on each plate.
Top with a handful of arugula and tomatoes.
Drizzle with 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Squeeze lemon over everything.

Caprese Salad

• 5 large ripe tomatoes
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella
• basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt, freshly ground pepper

Cut mozzarella into 1/4 inch thick slices.
Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices.
On plate, alternately layer cheese, tomatoes, basil leaves.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serves 6 to 8.

Parisian Bistro Salad with Mustard-Anchovy Dressing

This year, we're going on a Rhine River cruise that ends in Paris. We're going to splurge on lunch in the restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Eighteen years ago, I ripped this recipe from the May issue of Bon Appetit magazine.  My youngest child was seven months old at the time. With three children under age five, I had no hope of going back to Paris, then.

I'd been in Paris for a few days as part of a school orchestra trip when I was fifteen. Our orchestra set up to play in a park. I remember following the bowing of the violinists in the rows ahead of me as the teacher/conductor waved her baton furiously at me and made horrible grimacing faces because I'd forgotten to clip the music to the stand and all those photocopied pages lifted in the wind and blew away across the park. The years-older girl playing beside me just shrugged and laughed. 

Afterward...Did I realize how much trouble it would be to make new copies of the music in Paris? If a photocopier could be found, I would be responsible for paying for the copies! I had caused the busy teachers so much trouble!

That night, while the teachers left the students in the hostel alone and went to a bar, some friends and I decided to go view the city at night in the hours before bed-check. We anxiously bought tickets (some in first class, some in third class by mistake) and took the Metro to a stop with a familiar name, Notre Dame. As we stood looking up at the cathedral in the dark, a group of men surrounded us, leap-frogging and shouting things in French we didn't understand.

We clutched our purses, terrified, sure we were about to be robbed or worse. Suddenly, a whistle--and two French gendarmes appeared! The men ran away. We were told  something about a curfew, we were to allez immediatement!

The next day, it was hot out, and on our own at lunch break, my friends and I tried to order lemonade at a cafe. We were served glasses of creme de menthe liqueur which made us feel a little sick, but we drank it because we didn't have enough money to order anything more. Paris seemed odd and confusing, and not much fun for 15-year-olds with not much spending money. I knew I'd have to go back.

When I ripped this recipe from the pages of Bon Appetit magazine, a "big trip" was driving 45 minutes north to my sister's, in a Minivan, with the kids strapped into car-seats and Raffi singing from the cassette deck. For lunch, we usually had what the kids liked: ham chops (diced ham),cheese cubes and chopped dill pickles all eaten with the fingers.

So I made this Bistro Salad at home and gave us a taste of lunch in Paris.

I made it with romaine lettuce instead of curly endive, but the three kids still didn't like it at all.

Not even the one who'd once eaten a mouthful of spider plant leaves, which made the lady I called at Poison Control suggest I feed my children more fresh greens.

The kids said the mustard was yucky, the anchovies yuckier!

Why had I made the bacon taste bad?

I got to eat it all myself, while making ham chops, cheese cubes and pickles for the kids.

Serves 8, or 4 as a main course at lunch with a hard-boiled egg.

Dressing:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. anchovy paste
3/4 tsp. pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 lb. thick-cut side bacon cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4 cups trimmed French bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 head curly endive (or romaine lettuce) washed, drained and torn into bite-size pieces

If you are in a hurry, blend the mustard, lemon juice, anchovy paste, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil in the blender. If you are using a blender, you can also substitute a couple anchovy filets for the paste. The recipe says to whisk the first 4 ingredients together and then gradually whisk in 2/3 cup oil.  It then says to season the dressing to taste with salt--I don't do this; I salt the endive or romaine leaves themselves before adding the dressing.

The recipe tells you to fry the croutons in the same pan that you use for the bacon, but another way to do the croutons is to mix a bit of the bacon drippings with garlic powder and 1/4 cup olive oil in a bowl, toss the bread cubes in this mixture, and bake the bread cubes in a toaster oven or microwave till crisp.

Dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

Fry bacon in frying pan over medium heat till crisp and brown.
Using slotted spatula, transfer bacon to paper btowels and drain.
Pour off all but 2 tbsp. fat from skillet
Add 1/4 cup oil and garlic to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until garlic is golden, stirring frequently about 5 minutes.
Discard garlic from skillet using slotted spoon.
Add bread to hot skillet and toss to coat in oil mixture.
Cook bread until crisp and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
Transfer croutons to large bowl.
Add endive or romance lettuce and bacon.
Sprinkle lettuce lightly with salt if you did not salt the dressing, and toss.
Toss again with enough dressing to season to taste.
Divid salad among plates and serve.

For a lunch salad, you can also slice in peeled, chilled, sliced hard-boiled egg.