Bistro Salad
Easter Recipes Gluten-Free Recipes Salads
French women don't gain weight... not even at Easter.
So this year I'm using their strategy and I'll have on the Easter table alongside grilled lamb chops and golden roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic, a huge seasonal salad with a piquant dressing that always goes well with a hearty roast like lamb or a stew. It will also be good on May 1st, alongside the traditional grill and mici.
Ingredients
7 large Romaine lettuce leaves (about half of a Romaine lettuce)
7 large flat-leaf green lettuce leaves (about half of a green lettuce)
5 young spring onions
4 generous sprigs of dill
3 red radishes (or 1 small grated carrot when radishes are not in season)
Mustard and tarragon vinaigrette
4 tablespoons simple vinaigrette (+ 1 tablespoon red onion from the vinaigrette, removed separately)
2 teaspoons mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon cold water
Simple vinaigrette (6 servings)
1 red onion
50ml lemon juice
100ml olive oil (fruity, not the bitter kind)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or 25 grinds)
salt
Servings: 2
How to prepare bistro salad
- Prepare the simple vinaigrette ahead of time, at least 1 hour before preparing the salad. It keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This will yield enough simple vinaigrette for 6 portions of salad. If there's any left over, it can be used on any salad that calls for a tangy vinaigrette.
Cut the onion into thin slivers or small cubes, as you prefer. Sprinkle with a little salt and leave for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and leave for another 15 minutes to marinate. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly and quickly to get an emulsion. Add the ground pepper and salt to taste. - Cut the lettuce leaves into suitable pieces. On top, put the spring onion cut into fine rounds and the finely chopped dill.
- Separately, cut the radishes julienne (matchsticks) and sprinkle with a little salt.
- Put the 4 tablespoons of simple vinaigrette in a bowl and add the finely chopped tarragon. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add the mustard and using a whisk, mix quickly until the mixture "binds", meaning it emulsifies. The resulting emulsion turns out thicker, so thin it with 1 tablespoon of water to make it lighter and not weigh down the salad.
- Pour the mustard vinaigrette into the bowl with greens and mix gently (I prefer to use my hand).
- Assemble the salad in the bowl as follows: put 1/3 of the dressed greens in the bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 of the red onion removed from the simple vinaigrette and then with 1/3 of the radish matchsticks. Repeat the same until you finish the ingredients. Serve within 30 minutes maximum.