Masses of lettuces and leaves are available now with more appearing, hopefully, right through the rest of Spring and into Summer.
Look for whole lettuces and leaves that are bright and fresh, not tired and limp. Cut off the stalk of the lettuce and pull the leaves apart. These can be washed in cold water and drained well on the day they are bought – a salad spinner is great to have for this purpose but if you don’t have one, a colander and a clean tea towel will do. It’s important to get them as dry as possible. If you don’t use them up straight away you can store them, loosely wrapped, in the fridge for several days and they will stay crisp and fresh.
Leaves are probably best to wash and drain just before you use them – if they are limp, they can usually be revived by soaking in a bowl of very cold water for 5 minutes or so, then drained as above.
At least one bowl of simple greens each day is an important part of a balanced diet and, at this time of year, lettuces and leaves bring a welcome change from other greens. Add a favourite dressing (see below) and toss the leaves gently to lightly but evenly coat them – include some very finely sliced onions for extra interest. Choose whether to eat at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a meal –
they are a treat to be thoroughly savoured.
A basic salad dressing (enough for 4)
3 tbsp. Rapeseed or olive oil
1 tbsp. vinegar – choose from sherry, red wine, white wine, apple cyder, raspberry, blackberry, plum or balsamic vinegars.
½ tsp. runny honey (optional)
½ tsp. English mustard (optional)
Salt and pepper
Put all the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a clean, screw-topped jar and shake well to combine the ingredients. Taste the dressing and add a little salt and pepper if you like. Use to dress your salad leaves up to 30 minutes before you want to eat them.
