Crisp Green Salad with Parsley and Capers

I’m no good at playing favourites, but this is certainly the salad I make the most on a regular basis and, every time I eat it, I am reminded afresh of how good a salad can be. I suppose that stands to reason: I wouldn’t make it so often unless it hit the spot so perfectly for me in the first place. Yes, it’s just a simple side salad, but simple is what I want in a salad and, besides, I relish its crispness, its briny tang and herbal leafiness. If you love capers as much as I do, then I can’t imagine you wouldn’t feel the same way.

I often add dill along with the parsley and, indeed, sometimes instead of it, and you should really feel free to use whichever herbs you fancy here. Ditto with the choice of lettuce: I go for Dolce Romana, which tastes like a cross between cos (ie Romaine) and iceberg, but there is no law that says you have to, as well; Romaine hearts, or a whole Romaine, work splendidly here, too. And if your lettuces don’t feel very lively, leave the leaves in a bowl of iced water for 10-20 minutes before draining and drying them, then tearing them into pieces. One last thing: if the Moscatel vinegar I stipulate below eludes you, then use any sweetish vinegar you have, though I do need to tell you that Moscatel vinegar, with its deep honeyed grapiness, when mixed with the sprightly sharpness of apple cider vinegar, is the key to a simply superior salad!

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

I’m no good at playing favourites, but this is certainly the salad I make the most on a regular basis and, every time I eat it, I am reminded afresh of how good a salad can be. I suppose that stands to reason: I wouldn’t make it so often unless it hit the spot so perfectly for me in the first place. Yes, it’s just a simple side salad, but simple is what I want in a salad and, besides, I relish its crispness, its briny tang and herbal leafiness. If you love capers as much as I do, then I can’t imagine you wouldn’t feel the same way.

I often add dill along with the parsley and, indeed, sometimes instead of it, and you should really feel free to use whichever herbs you fancy here. Ditto with the choice of lettuce: I go for Dolce Romana, which tastes like a cross between cos (ie Romaine) and iceberg, but there is no law that says you have to, as well; Romaine hearts, or a whole Romaine, work splendidly here, too. And if your lettuces don’t feel very lively, leave the leaves in a bowl of iced water for 10-20 minutes before draining and drying them, then tearing them into pieces. One last thing: if the Moscatel vinegar I stipulate below eludes you, then use any sweetish vinegar you have, though I do need to tell you that Moscatel vinegar, with its deep honeyed grapiness, when mixed with the sprightly sharpness of apple cider vinegar, is the key to a simply superior salad!

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.