Debbie says that her gourmet mesclun salad is the world’s easiest. And don’t get me wrong, it looks quite easy. But my salad greens are even easier. I’d be shocked if it took five minutes to put them together, ten if you’re washing and tearing up the greens yourself.
But let me back up a second. Have I mentioned that I’m an unabashed salad dressing snob? ‘Cause I am. Given the choice between a bottle of salad dressing and nothing, I might well eat my lettuce plain. It seems such a shame to adulterate perfectly good greens with Xanthan gum, Disodium Guanlyate and Calcium Disodium EDTA.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. All you need is some lovely greens, some oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and an oversized bowl. Tastiness is only a few tosses away. By now, I can guess what you’re thinking: “News flash, Molly, everyone knows you can have salad greens with vinegar and oil.” And it’s true. But I’m here to tell you that dressing your salad with oil and vinegar is just as easy and so much tastier than using bottled salad dressing, when you use the right ingredients.
Choose whatever fresh greens your grocer or farm stand has available, or whatever will go best with your meal. Your greens can be mild (like butter lettuce), crisp (think romaine), peppery (arugula comes to mind) or even a bit bitter (like escarole). Mix several types. Toss in some coarsely chopped herbs (like parsley, dill or even cilantro). The sky’s the limit. If you’ve bought a head of lettuce, now’s the time to tear it into bite-sized pieces, wash it and spin it dry.
Next, choose your oil. My personal favorites are an aromatic extra virgin olive oil or a cold-pressed walnut oil, but you could use a drizzle of sesame oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil or any other aromatic oil that strikes your fancy. Since this salad dressing doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, you can really taste the flavors in the oil.
Pick a nice vinegar, too. I recommend white balsamic: it has a sweet note and isn’t too acidic. Red or white wine vinegar, unfiltered cider vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar are also great. Sherry vinegar is a bit strong, but works if you don’t use too much. I wouldn’t suggest using typical balsamic vinegar. It’s too strong and tends to overwhelm the delicate flavor of the greens (and one’s tastebuds, for that matter). I like to pair cider vinegar with walnut oil, rice vinegar with sesame oil and white balsamic vinegar with just about anything.
And that’s it. Find a big bowl, drizzle some oil and vinegar in the bottom (just a splash of each), add the greens, and then drizzle some more oil and vinegar over the top in a roughly 50-50 ratio. (Start slow; you can always add more.) Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt or two (I like coarse kosher salt here) and freshly ground pepper over the top of the greens and then gently toss them. Pull a leaf from the bowl and taste it–it should be lightly dressed but not soggy. If the salad is tart, add a bit more oil. If the oil is too prominent, add some more vinegar. If it’s too dry, add more of both!
There are more complicated homemade salad dressings out there. But this is easy (almost too easy!), and SO MUCH BETTER than the chemical nastiness you find at the grocery store. And it lends itself to fun experimentation, too. Do you have a favorite way to eat your salad greens?
Clacked by Molly B.
on Mar 17, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
I like to use citrus juice in place of vinegar. Lime juice goes really well with herb salads. I tend to buy pre-washed boxed salads and break my rule about buying in season when greens are in season because greens are a bitch to wash. To a bowl of herb salad I add olive oil, lime or lemon juice and kosher salt. If the salad has cilantro in it, avocado is a nice addition.