Lamb’s lettuce salad with marinated sun-dried tomatoes
One of my great passions: salads. And according to my friend José Luis, one of the dishes I’m best at preparing and one that I personally enjoy the most—before, during, and after. They are so versatile that you can almost add any ingredient and be confident it will turn out well.
Among the guidelines I usually follow is colour; I try to mix ingredients whose flavours not only complement each other but also contrast, adding a splash of colour to the table. And this is nothing more than the result of a phrase I heard a few years ago that comes to mind every time I make a salad: ‘A meal is as healthy as the number of natural colours it has.’
So, let’s start adding some colour… and not just on the plates!
Ingredients for a salad
1 handful of lamb’s lettuce
2 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes marinated with garlic and spices (the ones sold in jars in oil)
1 tablespoon of fried onion
1 slice of York ham
1 handful of spiced croutons
7 cucumber slices
1 teaspoon of poppy seeds
extra virgin olive oil
raspberry-flavored vinegar
salt
Preparation
Wash the lamb’s lettuce well and let it drain until it is completely dry.
Select the pieces of tomato and place them in a strainer so some of the oil can drain off.
Place the handful of lamb’s lettuce in the center of the plate, fluffing it up so there is air between the leaves.
Cut the cucumber slices into thin strips and let them fall over the lamb’s lettuce, making sure they don’t get too squashed.
Cut the cooked ham into thin strips and place it next to the cucumber.
Carefully place the croutons on top (they’re quite sneaky and tend to escape to the sides!).
Sprinkle the tablespoon of fried onion over the top, then sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Finally, place the two pieces of sun-dried tomato on top of each other, slightly twisted with respect to one another.
Dress to taste with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (a touch of raspberry vinegar gives it a fantastic flavor), and salt. Bon appétit!
To keep in mind
Use a flat plate as large as possible so that the salad is well presented in the centre, leaving space for the poppy seeds to spread across the empty area and making it nicely decorated.
You can add Parmesan crusts as an additional decoration.
The lamb’s lettuce may spread out on the plate as you add the ingredients. To correct this, gather them into a circle with both hands.