Recipes from the Market Table by Pascale Beale

It all began with this salad. This is the salad my grandmother made every day. It’s the salad we ate at home and it’s the first salad I learnt how to make. She would painstakingly rinse the greens, dry the leaves delicately in a tea towel and assemble it just a couple of minutes before dinner. Sometimes she’d add chives, which she would cut with scissors hanging from a hook underneath her kitchen cabinets, kept specifically for that purpose. It was so simple and refreshing. 

The key is getting absolutely fresh salad greens (mix your greens or use only one type —it all works). I like adding butter lettuce to this simple salad. The leaves are crisp yet soft, their texture a nice counterpoint to other greens.

Serves 8 people

3 tablespoons olive oil
1tablespoon cider vinegar or other light white wine vinegar of your choice
Salt & pepper to taste
3 green zebra tomatoes - diced
1 tablespoon chives - finely chopped
1 tablespoon basil leaves - sliced
¾ lb mixed salad greens

1. Place the mustard in a large salad bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and vinegar, and whisk until the vinaigrette resembles the consistency of a light mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place salad servers over the vinaigrette.
2. Add the diced tomatoes, chives and basil to the salad bowl. Place the mixed greens on top of the servers. When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the salad so that all the ingredients are well combined.