Perhaps the most delicious change which has taken place with our green salads in recent years has been the enormous variety of different types of leaves and shoots available, which allows us to mix and manipulate our greens according to what we fancy.
Up in the Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co. Leitrim, for example, alongside a good selection of lettuces - ultra, saladin, parris island, till - they grow such exotic leaves as choy sum, wild rocket, shungiku, pea shoots, as well as a huge variety of herbs which enliven the salad bowl no end: lemon, variegated and golden thyme, Japanese parsley, golden marjoram, garlic, chives, borage, mints, sage . . .
When you have a variety of leaves and herbs such as this, I think the most suitable salad dressing is the very simplest vinaigrette. Recently, making salads using till, shungiku, mizuna, rocket with mint, flat-leaf parsley and thyme leaves, we have been making a vinaigrette using just salt and pepper, the popular (and very good) Don Carlos white wine vinegar, and a light extra virgin olive oil. Sometimes some chopped tomato and a little chopped shallot get tossed in, but the vinaigrette can be just as simple as that. Equally good one day with peppery rocket leaves was a tossing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shavings of Parmesan.
Having a classic vinaigrette in your repertoire (as well as handily in the fridge) is a mighty asset, however, and here is a very fine one from Sarah Leah Chase's interesting Pedalling through Burgundy Cookbook. Ms Chase talks of how "10 years of questing ended with my learning the little secrets and proportion perfection of all those vinaigrettes I had long admired". She adds an egg yolk, "which lends extra creaminess and helps the dressing cling to soft and buttery baby lettuces", but of course it also adds extra cholesterol.
Vinaigrette
1 large egg yolk (optional)
1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard (it should have a bit of fire to it)
three-quarters teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
three-quarters cup vegetable oil
quarter cup olive oil
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the egg yolk (if using), mustard, salt and vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in the oils to form a creamy emulsion the consistency of a thin mayonnaise. Store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator if not using within the hour. The vinaigrette will keep for approximately 1 week in the refrigerator.