Salad Brain is a creativity platform.
These exercises use the platter, rather than the typical deep salad bowl, as the canvas for creation and a means to illustrate the universal process of creative thinking and design. No matter the field, the steps of creativity are the same. Here we’re using salads because we all have some experience with salad, a low-stakes, easy medium for practicing everyday creativity. Plus, your installation will feed you beautifully and well, and shouldn’t we all be eating more salads anyway?
We call it PLATTERAL THINKING!
For an introduction to getting in touch with your salad brain, read Welcome to Salad Brain Creativity.
INGREDIENTS:
Tomatoes
Mozzarella
Basil
Chives
Onion slivers
Vinaigrette
Coarse salt and pepper
PLATTERAL THINKING:
This fun salad combines classic southern skillet cornbread with classic Italian Caprese salad. There’s a Southern Panzanella (Italian bread salad) vibe here too. Skillet cornbread with a good crust is an excellent carrier for tomato juices just like stale Italian bread. Lots of fun ways to arrange this one. Here the whole skillet of cornbread is cut into pie wedges (always served crust side up) and separated a bit. The tomatoes and all the other goodness piled right on.
WHAT IF?
Burrata. Those nasturtium flowers and leaves in the garden. Crumble the cornbread. Change the platter to long and thin and arrange the cornbread in a line of wedges. Mediterranean olives. Forget the Italian angle. Go Tex-Mex with avocado and cilantro. Add queso fresco instead of mozzarella. Jalapenos. Pinto beans. Lime juice vinaigrette. Jicama and radishes.
