Garden Salad Ingredients

Oh salad! You are so lovely, how could I ever take you for granted?

Seriously, gardens make salads so much better than supermarkets. Garden salads are delicate. They are high maintenance. You’ve got to harvest the tender greens and then you’ve got to wash all the dirt off gently. If you’re rough with garden greens they wilt and bruise and fall apart. Supermarket greens are sturdy and don’t mind hanging out in a pre-packaged plastic bag for two weeks. Their flavor can’t be compared to the flavor of garden greens, though. Lettuce from the garden is sweet and buttery soft. I know this sounds crazy but, lettuce from the garden has life!

I made a salad for you today. I got up early and went to my community garden plot where I harvested some romaine and salad bowl lettuce. While I was there I snipped some dill. Then, I got inspired. The little violas caught my eye and I knew they were destined for this salad. Did you know you can eat violas? It’s true.

Farmers Markets make good salads too. This week I picked up French Breakfast Radishes, spring onions, and garlic scapes. Have you ever heard of scapes? They are the quirky curly tops of a garlic plant. Scapes can be found in farmers markets during springtime. I like them because they are tasty and whimsical. Their flavor is fresh and green with a hint of garlic. Dorie Greenspan advises that scapes are better enjoyed raw than cooked, so I decided to toss them in my garden salad.

The salad is dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice to let the flavor of herbs, lettuce, and garlic shine. A bit of Colorado goat cheese sprinkled on top adds tang and a creamy texture. So there you have it, a lovely spring garden salad. It’s perfect for the last post of spring- next week La Domestique begins the summer pantry!

Thanks for reading and have a most happy weekend!

Colorado Garden Salad (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Garden Salad

serves 2

Ingredients for the Salad

tender leaf lettuce
romaine lettuce
3 French Breakfast radishes, sliced paper thin with a mandolin
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 scapes, chopped
goat cheese
fresh dill
a handful of violas

Arrange the lettuces on a platter. Scatter the radishes over. Sprinkle the green onions, scapes, goat cheese and dill on top. Garnish with the violas. Drizzle over the lemon vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Eat.

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette

1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine the lemon juice and olive oil in a jar. Season with a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper. Put a lid on the jar and shake the vinaigrette for a few seconds until it’s well combined. You’re good to go!