Cooking with Marc Fosh: It's Salad time!

The secret to a great salad is a great dressing. They are the simple yet sublime components of countless appetizers, salads, main courses, and even some desserts. At first glance, making vinaigrettes could not be simpler: just a swirl of oil, a dash of vinegar, seasoning, and perhaps some mustard and herbs. But the making of a good dressing needs a little care and attention. They should be sublime and smooth with just a hint of tartness to coat and coax the flavour of all the other ingredients.

Mastering the art of the vinaigrette relies on a few basic rules that are easy to follow. Firstly, it is important is that the ingredients should be of the highest quality, top quality olive oil, vinegar and the balance of those ingredients is crucial.

For me, the proportions of these ingredients depend on the dish, but the general rule is that there should be four parts oil to one part vinegar. Once the basic formula is grasped, all manner of variations can be used. I like to make my vinaigrette with fresh lemon juice, lime, or grapefruit juice instead of vinegar, but balsamic vinegar makes a sweeter dressing and aged sherry vinegar is also a fantastic option.

It’s always a good idea to add a little flavour and bite to a vinaigrette by adding diced tomatoes, chopped shallots and fresh herbs. To add different flavours, you could use walnut oil, hazelnut oil or even avocado oil in place of the olive oil or infuse the oil with spices, garlic, truffles, and other flavourings for a tastier dressing. For a complete change substitute creamy natural yoghurt for the oil in a dressing and add lemon juice and herbs.

I really love a good, simple Caesar salad. Legend has it that it was invented in 1924 in Tijuana by a restaurateur by the name of Caesar Cardini, apparently to relieve the pressure on his kitchen caused by the rush of pleasure-seeking Yanks looking for liquid refreshment across the border in the era of prohibition. It was prepared "tableside" by the waiters instead. Over the years, the origin and original ingredients have been deeply debated. Just quick search on the Internet will lead you to over one million recipes, each of them different. Some will claim the classic doesn’t contain anchovies and there are recipes with and without egg yolks, and dressings made from anything from crème fraiche to tofu. My recipe is a simple chicken Caesar salad. The creamy, tangy, and umami-rich dressing elevates this classic salad from simple to spectacular.

Tahini-yoghurt dressing

I love this delicious dressing with simple vegetables, grilled aubergines & quinoa.

½ juice of lemon
2 tbsp tahini
¼ cup Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix and season to taste. Consistency should not be too thick or thin. Add extra olive oil if too thick, as it will help loosen the dressing and make it easier to coat everything in your salad.

Classic French vinaigrette

It’s a little tangy and a little bit sour. It works well with bitter leafy greens, including rocket, endive and witlof. This is a good one if you’re also going down the route of salad for dinner as this dressing works well with everything.

1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp Diijon mustard
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk ingredients together or shake in a jar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD

Ingredients: serves 4

2 romaine lettuces, washed & dried

2 chicken breasts

250g white or sourdough bread

100g parmesan, shaved

Caesar Dressing:

100ml olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp mayonnaise

20g parmesan, finely grated

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, crushed

3-4 anchovies in oil, chopped

Ground black pepper

1. Place the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, anchovies, parmesan into a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and add the lemon juice and black pepper to taste. The dressing should be the consistency of yogurt – if it is too thick, stir in a few drops of water to loosen it. To simplify the process, all ingredients can be blended in a food processor until smooth.

2. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

3. Trim the crusts off the sourdough and tear the centre into pieces or cut into chunks with a knife. Tip onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and finely grate over around 15g parmesan. Toss everything together so the bread is completely coated in oil and cheese. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden and crunchy.

4. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place a griddle pan or a large frying pan over a high heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Fry the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side and place in the oven until just cooked. Put the cooked chicken breasts on a board and cut them into thick strips.

5. To serve, break or cut the lettuce into large pieces and place into a large salad bowl.

6. Add half of the salad dressing and toss to coat the lettuce evenly. Cover with chicken slices, bread croutons, and add the shaved parmesan. Serve immediately with the extra dressing on the side.

Tomato, pomegranate & Feta salad

Ingredients:​ serves 6

450g cherry tomatoes (a mixture of colours also looks really nice)

2 small shallots, sliced very finely lengthways

150g feta cheese, drained

4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon honey

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

10 fresh mint leaves

Seasoning

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them into a bowl.

2. Add the finely sliced shallots, the white balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses, honey, and olive oil. Season and mix well.

3. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, crumbled feta cheese and garnish with fresh mint. Serve immediately.