A bowl of salad leaves, a rich mix of piercing greens, acid yellows and deep emerald, has been a crucial part of my day for as long as I can remember. Carefully chosen and thoughtfully dressed, the mixture may include the bitter crunch of chicory, a loose rosette of lamb's lettuce and long, spiky leaves of rocket as hot as white pepper. There may be the downy heart of ahead of young Treviso; the soft, blousy quality of a buttercrunch lettuce; the curious, waxy feel of Claytonia leaves. Interesting textures and flavours all, but in my salad bowl there will always be a good plain lettuce, too.
Lettuce lies at the heart of most green salads. When I find the perfect one, its leaves soft and buttery, I will put it on the table with a small, sharp knife and a bottle of olive oil for everyone to cut a slice, like a piece of cake. If a fat summer lettuce isn't around, there might be Little Gem, tight and sweet, or a magnificent Reine de Glace, possibly my favourite lettuce of all, with its milky-sapped leaves as spiky as antlers. No dressing other than the merest trickle of olive oil. When something is flawless it needs nothing more.
I am less fond of pink-fringed lettuces with their soft, frilly edges. They don't dress well, turning soggy at the first sight of vinaigrette. Better are the long-leaved, thick-stalked lettuces – the romaines such as Cos, whose leaves have more milky sap and crunch than anyone could ask for.
A good leaf salad is defined by the balance of the leaves and the dressing. I prefer cool or neutral leaves to form the bulk, with hot, citrus or cooling notes in smaller quantities. Surprise – an unexpected texture or flavour is what brings a mixed-leaf salad to life. There are the diminutive, though nevertheless earthy beetroot leaves with their purple stems; soft, tender lamb's lettuce (mache); peppery watercress or eye-wateringly spicy mustard leaves. It need not stop there. For those who have access, fennel fronds, dill, Good King Henry and Sweet Cicely make interesting textural additions. Good luck finding them.
I'm saddened by those unable to appreciate the joy of a good green salad. The mustard leaves hot enough to make your tongue burn; the coolness of smashed cucumber, the crisp curls of the much-despised but perennially popular iceberg – a useful salad ingredient when freshly picked and served cold from a dip in iced water. (Few leaves beat it as an alternative to bread for wrapping a garlicky meatball or jagged shards of chicken charred on the grill and cooled with mint leaves and yogurt.) Long live the green salad. Vital, bright, and, to this cook, essential.
Two-bean, beetroot leaf salad
Not a true green salad but a seasonal mixture of fresh leaves and tiny beans with a cucumber dressing. Summer in a bowl. Serves 2-4.
borlotti beans 200g
broad beans 350g
olive oil a little
beetroot leaves or red chard 4 handfuls
For the dressing:
olive oil 80ml
basil a small bunch
green peppercorns in brine 1 tsp
Dijon mustard 2 tsp
caster sugar ½ tsp
cucumber half
spring onions a bunch
Pod the borlotti beans and cook them in boiling, lightly salted water, then drain and tip them into a bowl. Pour over a little olive oil and toss the beans gently to coat. Pod the broad beans and boil them in deep, salted water for 6-8 minutes until tender, then drain them. Unless the beans are very small, pop each from its thin skin with your fingers, then add to the borlotti.
To make the dressing, pour the olive oil into a blender or the bowl of a food processor, add the basil leaves and their stems, and blitz to a smooth, creamy, bright green purée. Scrape into a bowl large enough to take the finished salad.
Drain the green peppercorns of their brine, rinse them briefly, then stir into the dressing together with the sugar and a little salt.
Peel the cucumber lightly, removing only the toughest, darkest green skin, then split the cucumber in half lengthways. Using a teaspoon, remove the seeds from the core and discard, cut the flesh in half once more and then into small chunks and stir into the dressing.
Discard the tough dark-green part of the spring onions, then finely slice the white and pale green stems. Wash and trim the beetroot leaves then toss with the spring onions and beans. Add the dressed cucumber and serve.
Green leaves, goat's curd toasts
Serves 4
For the toasts:
baguette 8 thin slices
pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp
goat's curd 8 tbsp
chopped chives 2 tbsp
chive flowers a few
For the salad:
mixed salad leaves 8 handfuls
small garlic clove 1
olive oil 4 tbsp
lemon juice 1 tbsp
capers 2 tsp
Peel the garlic and crush it to a paste with a pinch of salt. Blend in the olive oil, then stir in the lemon juice, capers and a grinding of pepper. Wash the leaves, removing any tough stalks as you go, and dry them in a salad spinner. This is important, otherwise the dressing will fall off.
Toast the pumpkin seeds for a minute or two until fragrant, then roughly chop them.
Finely chop the chives and, if you are using chive flowers, break the larger flowers into individual petals. Lightly brown the slices of baguette on both sides under a hot grill. Brush the hot slices with olive oil.
Cream the goat's curd with a little salt and black pepper, then stir in the chives and toasted pumpkin seeds. Spread on to the toasts, then scatter with the chive flowers.
For the salad, add the assorted leaves, such as young chard, beetroot, rocket and fennel, to a base of about half the volume of cool lettuce.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk
