The Romans said it took three people to dress a salad – a miser to put in the vinegar, a spendthrift to add the oil and a wise man to season it.
Good advice for a vinaigrette dressing, where the usual ratio is one part of vinegar to three parts or more of oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Put it all in a screw-top jar and shake it vigorously to emulsify the ingredients. Taste to check balance. Make only as much as you need because stored vinaigrette develops unpleasant flavours.
Buy the best oil and vinegar you can for dressing salads, and remember neither item improves with age, so store them in the dark away from heat and use them within a year.
Extra virgin olive oil is a favourite for vinaigrette, but probably not the pungent, peppery oils from olives pressed early in the season. Try a mild or fruity olive oil. Walnut oil or hazelnut oil are good choices for sharp green leaves or salads with those nuts in them – toss rocket in walnut oil to eat with fresh pear, blue cheese and toasted walnuts. Keep nut oils in the fridge after opening.
You might want a red or white wine vinegar. Red balsamic vinegar has a strong taste, and it’s best restrict it to equally strong leaves, such as endives, radicchio and fennel. White balsamic vinegar, however, is mild and suitable for fish and dressing salads.
For very young leaves use a mild olive oil and a champagne vinegar or verjuice. For more robust leaves, use a fruitier olive oil and red wine or a sherry vinegar.
Basic vinaigrette can be varied with the addition of Dijon or grainy mustard. You can add chopped parsley, basil, marjoram or mint, especially if the salad has these flavours in it. Use lemon, lime or grapefruit juice instead of vinegar and a taste of zest (and perhaps a little sugar) for a citrus vinaigrette. Crushed garlic can be added, not perhaps for a leafy salad but good over a bean or lentil salad.
Salad leaves must be dry if the dressing is to cling to them. Houstons are very careful to wash and dry leaves that are bagged so there is no need to repeat the process. But if leaves need washing, you need to plan a couple of hours ahead. After washing them, use a salad spinner or concoct your own by wrapping the leaves in tea towel and stepping outside to spin them around. Wrap the leaves in a new dry tea towel and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours to crisp up.
Always dress a leaf salad just as it is to be served.
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