Little Green Salad I

Welcome to the first installment of the little green salad series. The little green salad is akin to that simple black cocktail dress. The one that is timeless, effortlessly appealing, and instantly elevates any occasion.

There's a world of interesting greens out there. Sure there's romaine and iceberg, but what about boston, bibb, looseleaf, batavia, little gem, and oak leaf? There are multiple types of kale: lacinato or dinosaur, purple, and common curly, in addition to ornamental varieties.

In the little green salad series I will introduce a handful of my most simply prepared and versatile side salads. These are low input, high impact additions to virtually any meal. They add balance and brightness in color and flavor.

These are more-so methods than recipes; ideas about how to pair greens with things. Shown above is spicy, tender baby arugula tossed with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil, then topped with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Boom. Done. Plan on about 3 oz of leaves per person, which equates to about a cup, or roughly a handful. No need to be too precious. Just pluck a leaf and taste, fine tuning as you toss. I love this because I can prepare and serve in the same bowl, so there's very little cleanup required.