Assembling a green salad for a summer lunch is as calm a kitchen task as anyone could wish for, and one of which I never tire. Choosing leaves that contrast with one another, marrying leaves, stems, fronds and flowers of differing textures and making a dressing that flatters them is worth every minute of your time. The day’s simple salad is one of the kitchen jobs for which I inevitably slow down, taking my time to separate the pale yellow heart leaves from a butterhead lettuce; snapping off twigs of bitter frisee from its curly mop or picking the tough stems from a bunch of watercress.
Sometimes, just one type of leaf is all you need: the crunch of cos lettuce dressed with nothing but fried croutons and a knife-sharp anchovy vinaigrette. Or perhaps a lettuce of softest rosettes of mache (corn salad) with a lemon and olive oil dressing. But pleasurable though a single-leaf salad can be, I like to bring together leaves of different textures and flavours to make a salad that’s interesting on several levels. I marry sweet, soft leaves, such as a butterhead lettuce or pea shoots, with something crisp and bitter, say frisee or chicory. If I have nasturtiums in the garden (they’ve been a bit rubbish this year to be honest), I’ll tuck in some of their peppery leaves. Failing that I’ll go for basil.
Getting the details right is pleasing, the perfect marriage of leaves — something crisp, another soft, tossing them with leaves that are hot or cool. I always need something spicy in my salad — emerald-green watercress or old-fashioned mustard and cress (so difficult to find now), or maybe one of the spiky-edged mustard greens is a good start.
Matching dressing to leaves is something to consider. A blue-cheese dressing flatters bitter leaves such as frisee or spinach. Sweet, spicy mixtures, such as those containing miso, chilli and honey — a favourite in this house — need something more than a standard Little Gem or butterhead. Try bean shoots or cucumber instead.
There is nothing to be gained by complicating a green salad. If I am unsure, then I will leave an ingredient out rather than ending up with a cluttered result where everything seems to be fighting for attention. Far better to pick three or four leaves, a single other ingredient — sugar-snap peas for instance, or mizuna — and perhaps something unexpected, such as chive flowers or, if you grow them, nasturtium or dianthus flowers. In spring, I made a salad with the tiny heart leaves of a butterhead lettuce and deep purple violets. Charming, gentle and fragrant. A simple mixture to herald the start of the summer’s long, abundant salad days to come.
Summer leaf salad
The salad is at its most delicious when two-thirds of it is soft, sweet leaves with a smaller proportion of bitter or hot ones. I then try to include a handful of something less usual, such as the aniseed notes of fennel fronds or dill, a peppery element from nasturtiums, or something hot like watercress. Toss in the occasional edible flower you may have if you wish, such as nasturtium or chive flowers.
For 2. Ready in 30 minutes.
150g mixed sweet lettuce leaves (butterhead, little gem, oak leaf lettuce)
40g frisée or chicory
20g hot leaves (watercress, mustard and cress)
a couple of handfuls of extra leaves (fennel fronds, claytonia, nasturtium, basil, red chard, lamb’s lettuce)
Fill a large bowl with iced water. Separate the leaves, check them over carefully for any imperfections, then dunk them into water and set aside for 20 minutes while you make one of the following dressings.
When you are ready to serve the salad, dry the leaves by shaking them in a colander or salad spinner. Don’t pat them dry with a paper towel as this will damage the leaves.
Put the leaves in a bowl and jumble them gently with your fingers. Pour over as much of the dressing as you like, then toss gently with salad servers.
TARRAGON MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
Each recipe is enough for 2.
1 small clove garlic
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tarragon, chopped
Peel the garlic and mash to a paste with a tiny pinch of salt. (I do this in a pestle and mortar, but you could also crush it with the flat side of a knife blade.) Pour the vinegar over and leave for 10 minutes.
Stir in the mustard and a little finely ground black pepper, then whisk in the olive oil. Lastly, stir in the tarragon and check the seasoning.
• Letting the garlic sit in the vinegar for a little while will reduce its pungency, giving a softer, aromatic garlic note to your dressing.
• A good all round dressing, this will keep in the fridge for several days. (Remove it half an hour before you want to use it.)
• You can use dried tarragon, but let it soften in the dressing before using.
LEMON MINT CREAM DRESSING
The essence of summer. A refreshing, creamy dressing that works with salad leaves, but is especially good with young spinach or crisp cos leaves.
100ml double cream
5 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
6 mint leaves
Stir together the double cream, olive oil and lemon juice. A small whisk or a fork will do the trick. Take care not to overmix. Finely shred the mint leaves and stir into the dressing. Use immediately.
• I often make this in a jam jar, shaking the ingredients together.
• The fresh lemon notes make this a winner with cold roast chicken.
• Not a dressing to store, this is best used soon after mixing.
CREAMY BLUE CHEESE
Perfect with spinach or cos leaves and very good with frisée. Perhaps with a few walnuts chopped and scattered over.
50ml double cream
3 lightly heaped Tbsp crème fraîche
100ml olive oil
3 Tbsp tarragon vinegar
1 Tbsp tarragon leaves, chopped
125g Roquefort cheese
lemon juice, a squeeze
Stir together the cream and crème fraîche. Gently stir in the olive oil, tarragon vinegar and chopped tarragon. Crumble the Roquefort into small nuggets and stir in, then correct the seasoning with a little lemon juice and ground black pepper.
• The perfect dressing for a salad of young spinach leaves.
• This creamy, piquant mixture is gorgeous with grilled steak or chicken. You will need twice the recipe above to accompany steak for 2. — The Observer
