Jamie Oliver's Cheese & Onion Salad With Dressing

This is our lettuce patch in the garden, the picture was taken in July. My husband has 3 beds of lettuces growing.He plants lettuce in the spring and it is still growing, although scarce and rangy this time of the year. Since I am following Jamie Oliver's wonderful cookbook as it relates to seasons in the garden ( and for those of you who frequent Farmer's Markets this would be the same) I decided to try out this recipe with some of our remaining lettuces. I harvested quite a bit of lettuce and washed and dried each leaf. I did munch on a lot of the lettuces as I was preparing this dish and they are oh, so good all by themselves and without any additions or adornments! My husband was away on business when I made this so I set a little tray for my dinner and added some chicken breast drizzled in *Mary's Cranberry Dressing. ( click* to view recipe).

Cheese and Onion Salad With Creamy Herb Dressing ( EASY!)

• 8 small shallots, peeled and finely sliced
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• white wine vinegar
• 1 romaine or cos lettuce ( I used ours from the garden)
• 1 Boston or Bibb lettuce, outer leaves removed, washed and spun dry, leaves separated ( we actually had some of this lettuce in our garden too)
• 4 large handfuls of mixed salad leaves ( such as arugula, oak leaf and a little dandelion) washed and spun dry, leaves separated ( picked from our garden)
• 4 ounces Roquefort cheese., crumbled
• a good handful of walnuts, toasted and crumbled
• optional: a small handful of chive or allium flowers

Jamie Oliver introduces this easy recipe by saying ," Have a go at this recipe, even if you don't particularly like onions in salads, as they're quite mild. You can use sweet red onions instead of shallots if you like. And feel free to use any interesting mixed salad leaves. "Place the shallots in a small bowl with a generous pinch of salt and pour over just enough white wine vinegar to cover. You'll pour away the excess salt and vinegar once the onions are pickled, so don't worry if you think it's a bit much! Scrunch everything together with your hands and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes. To make the dressing you'll need: extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoons Creme Fraiche, 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar . Mix 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the creme fraiche ( see note below) and the red wine vinegar . Whisk everything together and season to taste. Squeeze the shallots hard with your hands and drain. Place the salad leaves on a plate. From a height , sprinkle over the shallots and the crumbled Roquefort. Scatter over the crumbled walnuts-it's really nice if they're still a bit warm from being toasted. I like to drizzle over the dressing at the table. Finish by throwing some torn up chive or allium flowers if you have them."

This salad was delicious, I might bring it to our potluck and add pasta to it to make it a filling meal all on its' own!

~I have really learned a lot by reading through and following these recipes. I thought I had a pretty good understanding of basic cooking and putting meals together and usually take a look at a recipe that interests me , gather the basic ingredients and proceed on my own, winging it. Since I accepted my husbands' challenge to make one of JAMIE"S recipes every week and blog about it I have had to follow the recipe as precisely as possible, after all , these are HIS recipes. What I have learned is that there are so many subtle things in recipes I never paid attention to ( such as procedures, herbs and flavorings) that completely transform a meal or dish from" O.K. and tasty" to " delicious, interesting and tasty"! Now I know why many of my husband's lovingly prepared meals go beyond the ordinary. Guess there is a good reason to be storing all those herbs, sauces, oils,vinegars, etc, in the cupboards, pantry and refrigerator. NOTE:Creme Fraiche, this is used in a LOT of recipes that originate outside the U.S. We can buy it at Trader Joe's which is not close or convenient to us.I have searched for it in all our local ( local being within 25 miles) supermarkets and have not found it. You can make a substitute for it. Just Google "Substitutes for Creme Fraiche". I would give you the substitute for it here but found several and if you google it yourself you will find the best one for you. Anyone out there feel strongly about the best substitute for it? Let us know, please!

Spot of Dinner (breakfast ?)

~I think I will harvest a bit of dinner. Lettuces and pea pods from the garden.~

~Windfall yellow (will turn yellow quickly) transparent apples. I have to pick them up from under the trees before the rabbits and dogs eat them. Today's eggs from the chickens.~

~Notice anything funny here about the eggs ? Two normal sized and one strange long egg..wonder what is inside ?

A Double yolker !

This is what the other eggs look like.

~Heart attack in waiting for dinner!

Really though, you have to love fresh from the chicken eggs steamed in bacon fat!

~Serve with fresh from the garden lettuces, pea pods, that special sheep cheese we had to buy lots more of, dribbled, O.K. SMOTHERED in Ranch dressing ...what ? Doesn't the salad make this a healthy meal ? Guess I'll make the apple pie tomorrow.

Spot On Salad

Lettuce : " A kitchen herb cultivated and used in salad. " Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary

Look at the beautiful lettuces my Hubby has grown ! We have fresh and yummy salad any time we want, and we do want salad. Hubby has grown several types of lettuce, and mustard greens for the salad, and pea pods for the salad. Just wish he could grow all the cheese I put on the salad....but oh well, we buy it. Remember , I now have a new favorite cheese for my salads, and I believe in using it generously on my salad !
Aren't these lettuces beautiful ? Hubby keeps such nice , even rows in his garden. Unlike my very disorderly clumps and climbings in the herb garden. See the beans just beginning to climb the twine Hubby very neatly put up for them ? He likes fresh beans cooked in butter...I and a certain granddaughter love green beans raw, right off the vine. Sometimes poor Hubby suffers a dearth of freshly cooked green beans when said Granddaughter visits and the two of us graze in the garden.

Hip hip hooray ! It is raining outside and it rained last night and today, so I did not have to drag hoses all over the property to water the flowers and gardens. I love the rain, and this rain did not bring cold weather, so I spent an hour or two on the porch, spinning my wool into yarn while watching the birds and the rain ,enjoying the smell of rain . I love the smell of rain and usually July is hot and parched, but not today !

Back to salads, I harvest the lettuces, rinse them well, give them a few spins in the salad spinner, then I rip the leaves by hand into the big salad bowl . I often add flowers from my herbs to the salad..borage, violets, geranium, chive flowers...and chives too. Then I might add tomatoes, cucumbers, snapped peas..and CHEESE ! Lots of cheese. Salad dressing is optional . Top with more blossoms and sliced hard boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, almonds, raisins, CHEESE and more CHEESE ! Voila..you have a meal. Maybe some bread or biscuits on the side. Yum !

" For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. " Matthew 5:25