garden salad with herbed vinaigrette
1. from a garden, a farmer's market, or a grocery store, select some greens for a salad. remember: the more diverse your ingredients, the more delicious your salad. for this salad, i harvested a selection of mixed mesclun lettuce, arugula, and (for the vinaigrette) some fresh herbs.
2. wash and rinse greens and herbs and set aside.
3. get your ingredients for the herbed vinaigrette ready. this includes: red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, a shallot, and fresh herbs.
4. in a small bowl, put 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. add 1-2 pinches of salt and whisk. add 2-3 shakes of ground black pepper. whisk.
5. add 2 cloves minced garlic and/or 1 diced shallot.
6. whisk in 1-2 teaspoons of dijon mustard.
7. whisk in, a tablespoon at a time, 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil.
8. optional but highly recommended - add 1-2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herbs. depending on season and access, consider using any or all of the following: basil, marjoram, oregano, parsely, savory, tarragon, and thyme. whisk.
9. place the herbed vinaigrette at the bottom of a large bowl. place the lettuce greens over the vinaigrette. place anything else - diced avocado, chopped hard boiled egg, walnuts, you name it - over the greens and mix your salad.
10. if possible, eat your salad outside with others.
11. when making the vinaigrette, consider doubling or tripling the recipe - sealed in a jar and placed in the fridge, the vinaigrette can dress a week's worth of salads.
