Food Stuff

You’ve heard of the $6 restaurant burger for $3.99 at Carl’s Jr. How about the $6 restaurant salad for less than $1 in your kitchen? Alice Waters provides the simple details of making an elegant salad in her book Chez Panisse Vegetables (HarperCollins, 368 pages, $35). Allow finely diced shallots to soak for 20 to 60 minutes in good-quality vinegar with a pinch of salt. This maceration will take the sharp edge off the shallots. Whisk in extra virgin olive oil, with a ratio to the vinegar of about three to one. Add salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste. Toss with organic mixed lettuce or baby spinach and there you have it. You may never buy bottled salad dressing again. One caution—don’t let the fresh shallots sit in the anaerobic olive oil for more than a couple of days, or your $1 salad may lead to a costly bout of food poisoning.