In Praise of the Green Salad

The green salad was once a dinner standby -- a must for any complete meal. But, this former grande dame of dinner table has been shoved aside by her flashier sisters -- the caesar salad, mesclan with a round of goat cheese, the composed salad.

There are also the issues of time and energy. I admit that on many a night I would notice the salad greens in the refrigerator and think to myself -- my god, I don't have the energy to make a salad. But, that was before I discovered the dressing-in-a-bowl simple salad recipe in a wonderful book called The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. I discovered that to make a green salad you need one bowl, 5 ingredients, and about 5 minutes.

First of all, you need olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. It is good to splurge on olive oil and vinegar for this recipe. But, you can also use inexpensive super market products and still have a good salad. Also, I like to use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

And, of course you need salad greens. CSA girl recommends fresh greens from a local farmer that you received in your CSA box. To make the salad just wash and tear the greens into the size you like. Then, sprinkle the greens with salt and pepper. Finally, drizzle the greens with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar. That's it!

A green salad makes every meal just a little bit better. Simple meals like a frittata, a sandwich, and even homemade macaroni and cheese will be transformed from kiddie fare to something you would expect on the menu at Chez Panisse Cafe. Trust me. Just try making this salad for one week and you will notice that simple family meals are just a little more special.

That's all for now. I'll be back later this week when I get my next box from the farmers at Blue House Farm.