Green Herb Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

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Recipe adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Collection Series: Salad, by Georgeanne Brennan, published by Simon & Schuster, 2001.

In many Mediterranean countries, fresh herbs are used as primary salad ingredients. Herbs are appreciated for the complex flavor and refreshing taste they bring to a salad. Parsley, cilantro, chervil, arugula and mint are commonly used this way. Fresh oregano and thyme might be added in smaller quantities. You may use only a single herb or a mixture. Do not use woody-stemmed herbs such as rosemary or sage. Also, just be sure to include leaves only (no cheating leaving all stems behind).

More wonderful Salads and Salad Dressing Recipes.

Don't forget to check out my Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry-Wine Sauce dinner menu and Boneless Chicken Breast with Crushed Peanut Crust dinner menu which includes this refreshing Green Herb Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette.

Shop What's Cooking America - Check out What's Cooking America's large selection of salad bowls, salad tongs, salad green's spinner, lettuce keepers, salad dressing containers, and Linda's favorite Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer.

Green Herb Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Recipe Type: Salad and Salad Dressing, Herbs
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallot or green onions
2 tablespoons Champagne Vinegar
1 teaspoon best-quality sherry wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 large head butter lettuce, leaves separated and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, carefully stemmed, rinsed, dried and leaves separated
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, carefully stemmed, rinsed, dried and leaves separated
1/2 cup fresh chervil sprigs, carefully stemmed, rinsed, dried and leaves separated

Preparation:

In a large, shallow bowl, combine the olive oil and shallot. Add the Champagne vinegar, sherry wine vinegar, garlic, lime juice, coarse salt, and pepper; mix well with a fork. Top with the lettuce, parsley, cilantro and chervil; toss well.

Mound the salad in individual servings bowls or plates.

DO NOT OVERDRESS YOUR SALADS - Too much salad dressing will weight down the salad ingredients and mask their flavors. The dressing's role is to highlight not to overpower the salad ingredients. A general rule is 1/4 cup of dressing for 6 cups of greens. As soon as your salad is mixed, taste a leaf to see if there is sufficient dressing. If not, drizzle some more over the salad, a tablespoon at a time; toss and taste again.

VARIATION: To enrich the dressing, add a little Maytag, Stilton, Gorgonzola or other blue-veined cheese along with the vinegar, coarsely mashing it with a fork. Serve the salad after a main course, accompanied with a sliver of the cheese and some walnuts.

Makes 4 servings.