A crisp salad with lots of crisp flavors. Serve with tuna or grilled cheese sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS:
6-7 cups Little Gem lettuce, washed, spun, and torn into bite-sized bits
3 carrots, preferably different colors, cut on a Ben-Riner or mandolin into thin 1½-inch long threads
¾ cup finely diced celery
¼ cup finely diced brown or white onion
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons soft and fruity flavored olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 pinch sugar
METHOD:
Put the vinegar, thyme, some salt and pepper, and the sugar into a non-reactive bowl. Allow to macerate for 10 minutes. Add the mustard and whisk together. Slowly drizzle in the oil in a thin steady stream, whisking hard all the while to emulsify the dressing. When all the dressing is in, taste it. It should be balanced and not overly tart. If it is still quite tart, add more oil.
Once the dressing is made, add the celery and onions and mix well to combine all the ingredients. Wait 10 minutes, then taste the dressing for balance. You may wish to add a little more sugar or oil as the celery can taste salty on its own.
To serve; lightly dress the lettuce with just enough dressing to moisten and distribute the lettuce over 4 plates. Put the carrot threads into the lettuce bowl and rub the threads around in the bowl to pick up a little dressing. Scatter the threads over the salads. Use a spoon to dollops blobs of dressing over the salads, and scatter with some roasted sunflower seeds if you wish.
Serve cold.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
