Bitter Leaf Salad with Date and Lemon Dressing
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Salad
300 grams mixed salad leaves – any combination of the following: watercress, witloof, rocket, baby chard leaves, radicchio, frisée, curly endive
Dressing
7 fresh dates, stones removed
100 mls water
juice of 1 lemon
100 mls olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Dressing: Roughly chop 3 of the dates and put in a saucepan with the water.
Simmer for 10 minutes or until very soft and pulpy.
Scrape the contents of the pot into a small food processor and blend until smooth. Tip into a bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and olive oil. Season.
Thinly slice the remaining dates.
To serve: Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and toss with enough dressing just to coat the leaves. Sprinkle over the dates. Serve the remaining dressing separately. The dressing will keep well in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for several days.
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

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