A Good, Green Salad
When it comes to salads, I prefer simple preparations: a Caesar salad perfectly dressed without the distraction of grilled chicken, or a tangle of young greens with endive, radicchio and tomato will suffice. I’ll opt for the occasional Tuna Niçoise, Salade Lyonnaise, or even a classic Wedge Salad, but no chopped salad for me, thank you. I’d rather have a raw head of fennel with some salt, lemon juice and really good extra virgin olive oil.
This salad is inspired by one that I had at Bouchon Bakery last February in Yountville. I distinctly remember Bibb lettuce with a mustardy vinaigrette, raw shallots and fines herbes, all of which came straight out of the garden from across the road. Pretty straightforward, not to mention brilliant.
The ingredients here speak for themselves: the key is to use the best and freshest produce possible, otherwise, there’s really no point. The lettuce should be young, tender and mild in flavor, and the herbs delicate and fragrant. This time I used a mix of butter lettuce and some red leaf. I also threw in a handful of cherry tomatoes which I had brought home from the SF farmer’s market. Couldn’t let those go to waste, plus they added a bright sweetness. The chervil, alas, proved to be annoyingly elusive at the store, so that herb was left out. No matter, I was still happy with the result.
A GOOD, GREEN SALAD
inspired by the ensalada I ate at Bouchon Bakery
serves 2 as a main, 4 as an appetizer
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
roughly 5 loose Cups of delicate, mild greens, torn by hand into bite-size pieces (bibb, butter, boston, red leaf, etc..)
1/2 small shallot, minced
1-2 sprigs parsley, picked
1-2 sprigs tarragon, picked
3-4 ea chives, cut into 1-in batons
1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
For the vinaigrette:
2 tbls dijon mustard
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/2 C vegetable oil
to taste, salt (maybe a nice flakey sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the two oils in a measuring cup. Combine mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk the blended oil into the vinegar mixture to make the vinaigrette. Set aside.
Combine the salad greens, shallots, tomatoes and herbs into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle some vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens, season, and toss very gently. Serve immediately.
TIP: Go easy on the tarragon, it can be quite overwhelming if used in large amounts.
TIP#2: If prepping this salad in advance, add the herbs at the last minute, to prevent wilting. The herbs can be picked, but stored in damp paper towels to maintain freshness.
Variation for something more fancy-schmancy:
A GOOD, GREEN SALAD WITH CHÈVRE, BALSAMIC GLAZE AND SHALLOT RINGS
Use the same recipe above.
Additional Ingredients:
to taste, balsamic glaze
2 oz, crumbled chèvre
1 ea shallot for fried shallot rings
DIRECTIONS:
After tossing the salad with dressing, portion out the salad onto plates. Sprinkle chèvre over the top. Place shallot rings in the middle, and finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. (Shallot rings can be made a couple hours ahead.)
2 comments
I love simple salads too – but cheese & some kind of protein (meat) usually just add a little oomph for mew.
Tanya: I totally hear ya, I do like cheese and meat (especially bacon!) in certain salads, I’m just very particular about it. : )
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