Ensalada Mexicana - 110

When I was in Mexico for extended periods years ago, I could count on one hand the number of times I ate salad. In fact, whenever I'd return to the US, one of the first things I'd do was either make a salad, or order one in a restaurant - even in an airport on a stopover on my way home! One of the reasons for not eating salads had to do with an old taboo on eating any kind of vegetables that hadn't been baked, boiled, or stripped of a thick, outside peel. Raw root vegetables such as radishes and carrots were to be avoided altogether. Lettuce and tomatoes were, of course, off-limits because they're not cooked for salads, which usually left cucumbers one of the few raw salad vegetables that could be eaten because of the removal of its thick peel.

Another reason for not eating salads was the fact that they weren't on many menus, and none of the homes I stayed in ever offered them as part of a meal. The usual offerings of salads on restaurant menus included potato salads, marinated vegetable salads, and a small number of pasta salads. One home I stayed in made a very simple potato salad made with boiled potatoes, mayonnaise, a drained can of peas and carrots, and some salt - period. Green salads just weren't popular when I was in Mexico, and even if they became popular over the years, I was never offered many.

I remember being taken to a wonderful Italian restaurant in Guadalajara that had an enormous salad bar and wondering if I should go ahead and eat the salad. I did, and there were no problems following that dinner.

So, when I located a recipe for a Mexican salad made with Romaine lettuce, cooked beets, diced avocado and queso fresco I thought - why not? - and made it for our dinner one night. The recipe called for fresh beets to be roasted in a foil packet with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Ours burned a little, but it gave them a special flavor. I made the salad and tossed it with a homemade balsamic vinegar dressing, and it was amazing. I just happened to have company that evening, and I think everyone enjoyed this salad as much as I did.