SUMMER SALADS : The Salad Days of Summer--When Lighter Foods Like Marinated Vegetable Salad, top, Help Beat the Heat and Provide Relaxed Dining

In the play “Anthony and Cleopatra,” Shakespeare’s heroine speaks of “my salad days, when I was green in judgment,” indicating a time of youth when lack of experience and general naivete made her appear immature. It’s not surprising the playwright drew the analogy between youth and salads, not only using the color green, but because both are also full of freshness and energy.

Paraphrase a bit and salad days might also refer to the summer months, when

days are long and warm, and we seek carefree dining on lighter foods. What could be a more natural choice than cool, crisp salads, some easy enough for even kitchen novices to prepare? The season also brings an abundance of fresh vegetables, essential to so many salad recipes.

Depending on the ingredients, salads may be the main course of a meal or one of its accompaniments. Some are best assembled and dressed at the last minute, others benefit from being prepared ahead so that their flavors may blend. Dressings are every bit as varied as salads. Spicy or subtle, sweet or tangy, creamy or light--each complements certain types of salads.

Today’s collection of summer salads runs the full gamut. Times Test Kitchen home economist Donna Deane developed an easy marinade so versatile it may be used with any combination of fresh vegetables. She also created the Artichoke Mayonnaise Dressing used on the Mixed Seafood Salad. It’s base is a jar of marinated artichokes, pureed with mayonnaise and seasonings, then chilled until the flavors blend.

Salade Poulet With Hot Basil Dressing was developed by Arnold Jewell, chef at Redwood House restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. The Picasso Room Horseradish-Beef Salad is an old favorite from the Los Angeles Times Picasso dining room. We updated it a bit with fresh mushrooms.

The most complicated of our offerings is Popeye Salad, winner of the recent Monterey Spinach Salad Contest. Wendy Brodie, chef at Stonepine Estate Resort in Carmel Valley, edged out 25 other area chefs for the top honor of $1,000, round-trip air fare to Paris and a trip aboard the Orient Express.

VEGETABLE SALAD MARINADE

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup minced cilantro

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup minced red onions

Salt, pepper

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar, cilantro, garlic, onions and salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 1 3/4 cups marinade.

Note: Use to marinate any combination of vegetables--broccoli florets, strips of green, yellow and sweet red peppers, wax beans, pea pods, mushrooms, corn kernels, celery and carrot chunks, radish slices or roses, daikon slices, cherry tomatoes, yellow pear-shaped cherry tomatoes--several hours or overnight.

REDWOOD HOUSE SALADE POULET

3 cups mixed salad greens

1 broiled boneless chicken half breast

1/2 cup sliced black olives

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 medium avocado, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

Hot Basil Dressing

Place salad greens on large plate. Slice chicken breast in 1/2-inch strips and place in center of plate over greens. Arrange olives, mushrooms, avocado and tomato on greens around chicken breast. Serve with Hot Basil Dressing. Makes 1 serving.

Note: Poached salmon may be substituted for chicken.

Hot Basil Dressing

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1/4 clove garlic, minced

Dash black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

Dash salt

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon capers

Melt butter in saucepan. Add vinegar, oil, garlic, pepper, basil, salt, parsley and capers. Heat, but do not boil. Makes about 1 cup.

PICASSO ROOM HORSERADISH-BEEF SALAD

3 cups thinly sliced boiled beef brisket

1 cup sliced celery, blanched

1/2 cup sliced onions, blanched

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Salad greens

Hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, turnip and red radish roses, optional

Combine beef, celery, onions and mushrooms in large bowl. Combine sugar, salt, mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, pimiento, Worcestershire and pepper in small bowl, blending well.

Pour mayonnaise mixture over beef mixture and toss well. Chill.

Mound meat mixture on platter lined with salad greens. Surround with hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, turnip and red radish roses. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

MIXED SEAFOOD SALAD WITH ARTICHOKE MAYONNAISE

1 (1- to 1 1/2-pound) cooked whole lobster

1 (1- to 1 1/2-pound) cooked whole crab

4 large scallops

Butter

1/2 pound cooked shrimp

Artichoke Mayonnaise

4-ounces spinach fettuccine

4-ounces egg fettuccine

Lemon wedges

Remove meat from lobster and crab. Reserve lobster shell for garnish, if desired. Saute scallops in small amount butter 3 to 4 minutes, just until cooked. Cut or slice, if desired. Combine lobster and crab meat, scallops and shrimp in bowl. Add enough Artichoke Mayonnaise to moisten. Cook spinach and egg fettuccine al dente. Drain and toss with enough Artichoke Mayonnaise to moisten. Serve fettuccine topped with seafood along with lemon wedges and any remaining Artichoke Mayonnaise. Makes 4 servings.

Note: If desired, 1/4 pound lobster meat and 1/4 pound crab meat may be substituted for whole lobster and crab.

Artichoke Mayonnaise

1 (6 1/2-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts in oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons minced chives

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt

White pepper

Place artichoke hearts and oil in blender or food processor container. Puree. Add mayonnaise, chives, garlic, lemon juice and salt and white pepper to taste, blending well. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to blend flavors. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

POPEYE SALAD

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons minced shallots

2 tablespoons chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

30 mussels with shells

Sweet Red Pepper and Ginger Dressing

Saffron and Curry Dressing

6 cups spinach

1 1/2 cups peas, blanched

Olive Oil Vinaigrette Dressing

30 small red oak lettuce leaves

Seasoned Pine Nuts

Fried Chinese bean threads

Edible baby pansies

Combine wine, shallots, basil and cilantro in large sauce pot. Bring to boil. Add mussels, cover, reduce heat and steam until mussels open. Remove from heat and chill, marinating mussels in cooking liquid.

Place about 2 tablespoons Sweet Red Pepper and Ginger Dressing and 2 tablespoons Saffron and Curry Dressing on bottom of 6 (10-inch) plates, creating pattern. Place spinach and peas in bowl and toss with Olive Oil Vinaigrette Dressing. Mound equal portion in center of each plate, still exposing sauces underneath.

Place 5 mussels in shells around edge of each plate, alternating with red lettuce leaves. Garnish spinach with Seasoned Pine Nuts, bean threads and pansies. Makes 6 servings.

Olive Oil Vinaigrette

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Combine olive oil, vinegar, basil and cilantro. Makes about 1 cup.

Sweet Red Pepper and Ginger Dressing

1 large sweet red pepper

1 cup mayonnaise

2 large pieces crystallized ginger

Dash salt

Half and half

Roast pepper over flame until well charred. Place in plastic bag and allow to steam about 15 minutes. Remove and peel. Place in blender with mayonnaise, ginger and salt and process until smooth, adding enough half and half to thin to dressing consistency. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Saffron and Curry Dressing

2 tablespoons hot water

Dash saffron

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon sugar

Half and half

Pour hot water over saffron and allow to stand several minutes. Combine in blender with mayonnaise, curry powder, turmeric and sugar and process until smooth, adding enough half and half to thin to dressing consistency. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Seasoned Pine Nuts

1/2 cup pine nuts

Powdered sugar

Oil for deep frying

Blanch pine nuts in boiling water about 1 minute. Drain and toss with enough powdered sugar to coat. Deep fry until golden brown. Spread on wax paper to cool. Makes 1/2 cup.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane