Columella Salad

Columella Salad

I found several different sources with different salads Columella talked about and found this particular one to seem the most delicious.  It was also curious because this one of the only salads that does not take salt, but instead takes a salty cheese on top.

Put savory in the mortar with mint, rue, coriander, parsley, sliced leek, or, if it is not available, onion, lettuce and rocket leaves, green thyme, or catmint. Also pennyroyal and salted fresh cheese. This is all crushed together. Stir in a little peppered vinegar. Put this mixture on a plate and pour oil over it. (Columella, Re Rustica, XII-lix) 

Recipe translation from Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas

 Upon making a trip to the grocery store and investigating what was actually available, I altered the recipe accordingly.

• Fresh mint
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh salted cheese (I used a salty fresh mozzarella)
• Fresh thyme
• Head of red lettuce
• Fresh leek
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil
• Black pepper

To be quite honest, from this point forward, it was important to me to no longer follow the suggested amounts that came along with the translation and instead simply use what I felt appropriate.  To balance the flavors, I tried to keep in mind what I would not want too much of.

Parsley, for example is rather bitter, so I did not want to have the bitterness overpower the sweet and saltiness of the other ingredients.  Since I did not have any fresh coriander, but still wanted a distinctive refreshing flavor in the salad other than the mint, I choose cilantro.  To my personal taste, I used cilantro more than anything except the red lettuce.  The fresh mint was hardly noticeable in the salad as being mint and instead served as an interesting compliment to both the vinegar and salted cheese.

When preparing the salad, I tried to layer in the greens and tossed the salad by hand to disperse the various flavors throughout.  I really enjoyed this salad and appreciated that it was all sorts of greens and herbs that brought its delicious flavor and aroma to the table instead of any elaborate dressing or additional vegetable.

In Food in Antiquity: a survey of the diet of early peoples by Don and Patricia Brothwell, they reference Pliny having said that lettuces are cooling and very pleasant to eat in summer, as well as being good for the stomach and being good for promoting an appetite