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By Request
CAROL Costa is used to providing answers in her role as spokeswoman for the city and county. Which salad?
It’s a toss-upThis time, though, she's got a request, for the chopped salad served at California Pizza Kitchen. She admits to an addiction to this salad, and in this she is not alone.
Carlos Delgado, director of operations for CPK in Hawaii, says Kahala Mall's Pizza Kitchen sells a high percentage of salads -- 35 to 37 percent compared to other foods on the menu. The national average is 25 percent.
"People know their salads in Kahala and they expect quality," Delgado says.
Kahala, opened 13 years ago, was the first CPK in Hawaii and the fifth in the nation. The chain has grown to 90 restaurants, but Kahala still ranks consistently in the Top 2 for sales, Delgado says. The new Ala Moana location has been placing in the Top 5.
The chopped salad is second in popularity, following the Oriental salad.
Farther down the list is a romaine-watercress salad topped with walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese -- which has a smaller, but very devoted following, Delgado says. "Romaine and watercress is one of those that, when you love it, you're really loyal to it."
I'm including it here because it's my personal favorite.
These recipes and other CPK specialties can be found in "The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook," by Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield (MacMillan, 1996, $20).
By the way, the nutritional analyses that follow these recipes show that a generous dose of vegetables doesn't make every salad a heart-healthy choice. These are high in calories and fat, which you can lower by going easy on the dressings and cheese.
CHOPPED SALAD WITH HERB-
1/2 head iceberg lettuce (about 3/4 pound), in 1/8-inch strips
MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
1/2 head romaine (about 3/4 pound), in 1/8-inch strips
12 large, thinly sliced basil leaves
2 cups thinly sliced dry Italian salami
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup chopped garbanzo beans
4 cups diced ripe tomatoes
3 cups diced turkey breast
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/3 cups mild olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheeseTo make dressing: Combine all ingredients except oil and cheese and blend using a hand-held propeller-blade mixer or whisk. Slowly bend in oil, then cheese. Refrigerate.
To make salad, toss lettuces, basil, salami, cheese and beans with dressing; transfer to salad plates. Surround each serving with tomatoes; top with turkey. Garnish with scallions. Serves 4 as an entree.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving, using all the dressing: 1,550 calories, 121 g total fat, 31 g saturated fat, 260 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,500 mg sodium.*
ROMAINE-WATERCRESS SALAD
1 head romaine lettuce (1-1/2 pounds), in 1-inch squares
1 bunch watercress, in bite-sized lengths
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 cups walnut halves
6-8 large basil leaves
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 pound Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup mild olive oilTo make dressing: Combine all ingredients except oil and blend using a hand-held propeller-blade mixer or whisk. Slowly bend in oil. Refrigerate.
To make salad, combine lettuce and watercress. Add dressing and toss. Scatter remaining 8 ounces of cheese and the walnut halves atop the salad. Serves 4 as an entree.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving, using all the dressing: 1,060 calories, 99 g total fat, 25 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,500 mg sodium.*
Food Stuffs: Morsels
Send queries along with name and phone number to:
By Request, Honolulu Star-Bulletin Food Section,
P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com
Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the
Body & Soul section indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
