The Purist’s Green Salad

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

Introduction

A great salad doesn’t need a lot of stuff in it. In fact, simplicity, with the emphasis on high-quality ingredients, is what is suggested here. This dressing is wonderfully balanced and very versatile. Several variations are offered in the Cook’s Notes.

Ingredients

	1	large head lettuce (leaf, red leaf, romaine, or a mixture), cleaned and dried (see Cook’s Notes)
	8	medium-size fresh mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, then thinly sliced

Dressing

	2	Tbsp. rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
	6	Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
	¼	tsp. granulated sugar
	¼	tsp. salt
	~	Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
	1½	Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Steps

In a large bowl (the bigger the better, since you have to toss the lettuce in here), mix vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Add minced parsley. Mix well and taste. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
About 20 minutes before serving, add sliced mushrooms to the dressing. Toss well and let marinate. When ready to serve the salad, tear lettuce into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Toss to combine. Divide among salad plates and serve immediately.

Notes

For the amount of dressing specified in this recipe, about 8 cups of lightly packed salad greens is the amount you will need. When first learning to make good salads, it really is helpful to measure the amount of greens—after a while you won’t bother, your trained eye will know!

Variations
Curried Dressing
Use rice wine vinegar and add 1/2 teaspoon curry powder to the dressing.

Garlic Dressing
Use rice wine vinegar and add 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic to the dressing.

Basil Dressing
Substitute freshly minced basil for the parsley, or use half basil and half parsley.

Creamy dressing
Using rice wine vinegar and add 1 tablespoon whipping cream to the dressing. Blend well to combine.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.