April 9th: recipe for a perfect salad + lemon/oil salad dressing

"Recipe for a perfect salad" might be verging on hubris, but it is what I wrote at the top of a piece of scrap paper many years ago, under which I listed all the possible ingredients to put into a salad to make it a top-notch meal. The ingredients to any salad are, of course, subject to taste and availability. Since I often mention having a salad as part of supper, it is time I shared what I am talking about. Here are the basics to any of my salads, plus additions I would consider:


base:


salad greens
sweet pepper
red or green onion
carrot
baby cucumber
grape tomatoes
celery


other options, should they be available:


olives
broccoli, blanched
asparagus, blanched
sprouts
kohlrabi
sugar snap peas
raisins
dried cranberries
fresh berries in season
meat: Genoa salami is our favourite but tuna and chicken are close seconds


must-haves, if at all possible:


avocado
nuts, toasted: pine nuts are my favourite; almonds & walnuts a close second, pecans good also; in a pinch, seeds can sub in - sunflower seeds being great
cheese: Cheddar or goat cheese are standards for us


These last three ingredients are what take any salad from good to extraordinary. Seriously.


I've been thinking recently, but haven't tried out, adding in some of the following:


chickpeas
flaxseeds


To accompany a great salad, one must make a great salad dressing. I've gone back and forth between making and buying dressing over the years, but after our post-Christmas trip to Nova Scotia and watching Zach and Natascia make salad dressing everyday, I reasoned if two 19-year olds can make dressing everyday, it's time I stepped up and did the same. The good thing is, if you make enough, you don't actually have to make it everyday. Here's what I've landed on as my favourite salad dressing:


In a small liquid measuring cup, place:


1 garlic clove, pressed (this is the one and only time I use just one garlic clove for anything, though I might use 2 if they are small)
1 tsp each Dijon mustard and liquid honey
1/4 tsp salt


Squeeze in fresh lemon juice until mixture reaches 1/4 cup. Whisk thoroughly. While whisking, slowly pour in extra virgin olive oil until mixture reaches 1/2 cup. Taste and adjust if necessary.


We all know I love lemon, so I like the strong acidity of this dressing. If you don't, you can up the oil or replace the lemon juice with another acid (red wine vinegar, cider vinegar, etc.). Keeps well in the fridge for some time. I used some I'd forgotten about that I think was over a month old and it seemed fine to me.