It is a beautiful spring day here in Roxbury and I am starving. So I am going to go pick some lettuce and make myself some a salad, fresh from my garden.
I am only making salad for one so I am going to go through to my lettuce beds and just pick a few leaves from the heads of lettuce. Here is one of my raised beds that I used for my farm stand and I fed so many people out of this bed.
Right here at I have got some black-eyed Simpson Lettuce and I am just going to pick a couple of huge leaves. And over here I have got crunchy Bib Lettuce. It is so amazing and notice, I am just picking the leaves that are on the outside of the lettuce. Now, behind me, I have spent a lot of time cultivating this Romaine Lettuce and let me tell you, it is so crispy, delicious, refreshing and again, I am going through and I am just taking all the leaves that are on the outside of the head of the lettuce. That way, the inside of the head of the lettuce can continue to grow. This is my Four Season Lettuce. It is so delicious, it is a winter hardy lettuce and I am not going to have this around for too much longer, so I am going to enjoy it now.
Hmm, I can not make a fresh salad without Arugula and other herbs. I definitely picked way too much for just myself, but what I am going to do is I am going to go through and just take each lettuce leaf and cut it up just with my hands. That wonderful Arugula, the other ingredients I have here are some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Also, the this amazing sausage that Mr. Venucci gave our family. Thank you so much Mr. Venucci.
I also have some fresh pesto sauce, and I am going to make a little vinaigrette with this wasabi and some oil and vinegar and of course, I have got avocado. It is a kind of California thing but I am a Puerto Rican, this is also a Puerto Rican thing and I love avocado.
Now, I also have some goat cheese and goat cheese is delicious. If you have never tried it, definitely give it a try. Just crumbling some of the goat cheese right on top, next, I am going to add some of this amazing salami. Of course, if you are vegetarian, just hold the salami. I also have my fresh Parmesan cheese and now, I am going to show you how I make a vinaigrette and it is so easy.
First thing I add to my vinaigrettes is of course vinegar and this is some white balsamic vinegar. Just a little bit because I am only going to make enough for this one salad right now. Next, I am going to add some of these great wasabi. Start mixing that up a little with a little whisk, next some lime, you can also add lemon and this is just giving it a citrus kick to it, an acidity that is just great in this salad. I like to use about half a lime or half a lemon for this.
And now as I am whisking, I am just going to slowly add this amazing extra virgin olive oil. You can just see how it is emulsifying. Add a little more. Now that my vinaigrette is combined, I am just going to add it to this salad, just the perfect amount.
I love pesto sauces, especially on toast, and it is fresh from my garden. Wow, crunchy! There is a little bit of kick to that vinaigrette that I made and in an acidity to it. Citrus acidity is delicious.
My rule of thumb in cooking is not to add too many ingredients or too many flavors. So here, I just have oil and vinegar, citrus, some heat out of the wasabi, cheese and lettuce. That is it, very simple, very clean, very fresh, very summery. I have my toast here with my pesto. The bread I am using is Ezekiel Bread and it is a sprouted wheat bread. It is delicious, low in carb, definitely go find it in your supermarket. It is the kind that I eat all the time and basically, it tastes just like bread.
I hope your mouths are watering out there and you are getting ready to go start that lettuce patch that you have always wanted and can have some fresh lettuce anytime you want, like me.
I am Patty Moreno, the garden girl. Thank you so much. I am going to call back and make that reservation. Thanks!
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