
A green salad is just about the best way to showcase what is growing at a specific time of year. Vibrant green leaves and spicy wild garlic in the spring, hardier whole lettuces in the warmer months and bitter-sweet chicories and endive in the winter. This vinaigrette will work well with them all and is great for dressing all manner of vegetables. Try it drizzled over roasted carrots, or tossed through steamed green beans.
Salad Ingredients:
- 2 whole heads of lettuce (my favourite varieties include Devil's Tounge, Flashy Butter Oak, Little Gem and Emerald Oak)
- 200g Red Frills mustard leaves
- 100g Purslane
- 100g torn fresh herbs, like lovage, oregano, fennel or parsley
Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 125ml apple cider vinegar
- 125g Dijon mustard
- 500ml rapeseed oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
1. Firstly, wash and pat dry all of your leaves. Break larger lettuces into single leaves or small hearts and mix them all together - this is so that when you dress the salad each mouthful is full of flavour (spicy mustard leaves, crunchy purslane and fragrant lettuce... with herbs aplenty mixed, too). Set aside until ready to serve.
2. To make the vinaigrette, add the vinegar and mustard to a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Add a generous pinch of flaky salt and a few grinds of black pepper. While whisking (or blitzing if using a food processor), gradually add the oil in a thin stream until you have a glossy vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar, salt and pepper if you need to. It's important to remember that lettuce leaves are almost entirely water, so the vinaigrette should taste 'too strong' now. Try dipping a lettuce leaf in the dressing when tasting to get a more accurate representation of the final dish.
3. When you're ready to serve, add a mixture of leaves to a large bowl, cover with a generous glug of vinaigrette and toss to dress. Serve immediately, with a few herbs or edible flowers on top, if you like.