Everyday Green Salad
Makes about 1 cup vinaigrette; salad serves 6 Preparation Time: 20 minutes Vinaigrette can be made up to 1 week ahead, covered, and refrigerated (mix well before using)
The recipe for this vinaigrette uses basic staples with stunning results. I like to make it ahead, doubling or tripling the recipe, and keep it handy in the refrigerator to toss with whatever I have on hand, from salad greens to cooked green beans or asparagus.
It loves a good rest in the refrigerator, where the ingredients marry and the onion pickles as the hours go by.
- Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- ⅓ cup slivered red onion
- 1½ teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
- 1 head butter or red leaf lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, dried, and torn into pieces
- 4 carrots (about 12 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1 large cucumber (about 12 ounces), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces), quartered, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 large ripe Hass avocado, halved, pitted, meat scooped out, and thinly sliced
- In a jar or a plastic container with a lid, combine the vinegar, oils, mustard, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover tightly and shake for 10 seconds, or until the vinaigrette is well emulsified. Alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a whisk or fork, or blend in a blender or food processor.
- Place the lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes in a large salad bowl. Pour in a generous amount of the vinaigrette and toss; the salad should be coated with the vinaigrette but not drenched. Arrange the avocado slices on the top, drizzle on a bit more vinaigrette, and serve.
MEXICAN COOK’S TRICK: For chunky bites of onion, you can simply mix all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a container, or you can puree them, including the onion and garlic, in a blender for a smoother texture.