Salads on modified texture menus are rare. However, with a
creative approach they can be offered as part of menu variety. I came to these
ideas when I was asked to come up with some picnic recipes for purée diets in
long term care suitable for outings. The provision of refrigerated transport
boxes was assumed, as the special mouth feel in some of the items comes from
using gelatine, and the mousses also need cool storage.
Batch preparation is necessary for kitchen efficiency and
many of the items are suitable as part of normal, soft , minced and moist and
smooth purée diet salads. The jellied items are mixed with pureed vegetable to
avoid the fast melt in the mouth. The amount of gelatine used is reduced to
create a soft jelly rather than one with bounce.
At the time we used 125g plastic pots to place the
transportable meal items in, but obviously for efficient plating and variety in
shapes, vessels available in the work place can be used. Ramekins of various
sizes can be really useful. A layered product in a glass or plastic pot, using
bright colours like beetroot or tomato give an attractive look.
When choosing recipes for modified texture salad items the
obvious loss of the crispy crunch fresh texture needs to be replaced by a
recognisable taste. This can disappear with too much mayonnaise or other creamy
mixing ingredients. The jellied item for the salad vegetable as part of the
meal gives a more refreshing taste.
Soft diet items as cooked vegetables or soft cooked
meats/fish /chicken/legumes with sauces will have the advantage of recognition
and should be encouraged as part of variety in a menu.
Super Foods for Small Appetites* has a range of recipes and
information to use when creating salad menus such as Potted Beef, Frittata, Chicken
and Prawn Mousselines. The vegetarian and fishy dips recipes can also be used.
A supplement is to be available soon which will give more
ideas and recipes.
Happy salad menu creation.
