Marybeth Padden's Ribbons of Greens and Green Apple Salad

prep time:: 20 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

The combination of crunch, sweet, and tart gives this salad its distinction. Picky little eaters in the house? This one will win them over. For grown-ups, an addition of fresh goat cheese would move this into the main dish category.

ingredients

1 medium onion, cut into thin rings.
Pale green inner leaves from 1 large head curly endive, frisée, or other tangy lettuce
Pale green inner leaves from 1 large head escarole or 1 small head red-leaf or Bibb lettuce
1 crisp apple, such as granny Smith, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Braeburn, quartered, cored (not peeled) and thin sliced
1/3 cup whole salted almonds, coarsely crushed
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 to 3 Tbsp peppery extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 Tbsp red wine or cider vinegar

directions

1. Place the onion in a bowl, add ice water to cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2. Wash and thoroughly dry the greens. Stack 4 leaves, roll them up into a tight cylinder, and thin-slice crossways. Repeat with the remaining leaves. You’ll have fine ribbons of salad. Put them in a large salad bowl and add the apple slices and almonds. 3. Just before serving, drain the onion and pat dry. Add to greens. Sprinkle salad with salt and pepper and basil. 4. At the table, toss the salad with enough oil to barely coat the greens, about 2 Tbsp. Toss with vinegar to taste, starting with 1 Tbsp. Taste for balance, making sure the vinegar is assertive but not harsh. Once dressed, serve salad immediately.

notes

Chiffonade - a fussy concept, but it's amazing how slicing lettuce into thin strips impresses. People think you have worked for hours. The trick is to stack the leaves, roll them into a tight cylinder, and cut them all at once.

Source: carly