Herb Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Chef

Waldy Malouf

View

Cookbook

The Hudson River Valley Cookbook

Published by Harvard Common Press

View

This image courtesy of Joseph DeLeo

Editor's Note: What can be more refreshing than a delicious and homemade salad for lunch or dinner? Using an assortment of herbs, this recipe for Herb Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette can be adapted to include seasonal ingredients. You'll love whipping up this salad the next time you are in the mood for a meal that's both simple and elegant.

A relative newcomer to the Hudson Valley, an exciting array of fresh herbs is grown in greenhouses throughout the region. This is one salad you can make year round, adjusting the ingredients to what is available at the moment. The intense flavor of the herbs in their sprightly vinaigrette provides a surprise to the palate; a small serving brightens the simplest plate of sliced or grilled meat or provides a wonderful foil for a country-style pâté.

Serves6 to 8 as a salad, 12 or more as a garnish

CostModerate

Total Timeunder 1 hour

OccasionCasual Dinner Party, Formal Dinner Party

Recipe CourseAppetizer

MealDinner, Lunch

Taste and TextureHerby, Light, Tart

Type of DishFirst Course Salad, Salad

Ingredients

1 bunch sorrel (about ½ pound)
1 bunch basil
1 bunch opal basil
1 bunch tarragon
1 bunch chervil
1 bunch dill
1 bunch chives
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of ½ large lemon
2 shallots, cut into fine julienne
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Thoroughly wash and dry all the herbs. As you prepare the herbs, put them in a salad bowl. Trim the stems from the sorrel and cut the leaves in half. Strip off the leaves of the green basil, the opal basil, and the tarragon and discard the stems. Take sprigs of chervil and dill from the main stems and discard the stems. Cut the chives into 3-inch lengths.
To make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, and a lime salt and pepper. Still whisking, add the olive oil in a thin stream. Pour half the vinaigrette over the herbs in the bowl and toss gently until all the leaves are lightly dressed. Taste the salad and add more vinaigrette to taste.