Lettuce Make A Salad

The spring of 2011 was not the year to start garden vegetables early. I planted lettuce about six weeks ago and the poor things have endured spells of temperatures in the mid-90s followed by torrential rain and unseasonably cold, windy nights. Still, they have soldiered on, and this week I have started picking perfect heads of Green Oak Leaf, Butter Crunch and Red Loose-leaf.

In their raised beds, young heads of lettuce form a checkerboard of vibrant colors and are almost too beautiful to assault with a kitchen knife. So I’ve developed a ritual whereby I admire them with loving gazes and verbal flattery before I whack them off at the stem and take them into the kitchen. Even though they were grown organically and are chemical-free, a thorough rinsing and a cold water bath flushes out any little bugs or specks of soil that hide near the stem. After some chilling in the fridge, they are ready for the salad bowl.

My friend Katrina, a terrific cook who now lives in England, taught me how to make vinaigrette, and it is so tasty and easy to prepare I will never, ever use a store-bought dressing again. This recipe can be altered in a number of ways by changing the vinegar or the oil and adding fresh herbs, but I keep coming back to the basics.

Katrina’s Vinaigrette

¼ Cup good quality balsamic vinegar

¼ Cup water

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil. Some olive oils are a little heavy for my tastes, so I use a “light” olive oil, or half EVOO and half canola oil. You can experiment with this.

¼ Teaspoon Colman’s dry mustard, or ½ Teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 Large clove of garlic, mashed through a garlic press

Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a clean 1-pint screw-top jar and shake to emulsify. For a thicker dressing, combine the vinegar, water, garlic and mustard in a blender, and with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil through the opening in the lid. Then add the salt and pepper. Refrigerate any unused dressing in the covered jar.

This recipe makes one cup of dressing, enough to dress a salad for at least six people. I also use this vinaigrette on steamed or roasted asparagus, and on that favorite of all summer salads: sliced tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese generously garnished with a chiffonade of basil.