Early spring garden salad

Jo Elwin/Tamara West

Serve this spring salad with pork chops or roast chicken pieces; or break some smoked eel into chunks and add to the salad before dressing.

Ingredients

2 cups	Baby salad leaves, including small tatsoi, mizuna, mibuna and/or spinach leaves, rinsed, drained and chilled in a plastic bag to crisp up (Main)
¼ cup	Parsley, small leaves
¼ cup	Chervil, sprigs
4	Spring onions, very young, if available, or use about 12 chives
6	Baby carrots, scrubbed (Main)
2	Baby fennels, any leathery outside bits trimmed using a potato peeler (Main)
2	Beetroot, small, tops removed and baby leaves reserved, beets scrubbed
6 slices	Sourdough bread, very thin, wholemeal, baked at 180C until crisp
1 pinch	Sea salt

Toasty garlic dressing

6 cloves	Garlic, small, peeled
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 Tbsp	Walnut oil
2 tsp	Cider vinegar
½ tsp	Salt

Directions

1. Place chilled leaves in a wide mixing bowl. Scatter herbs on top. Add any baby beetroot leaves too.
2. Use a mandolin or very sharp knife to thinly slice the carrots lengthwise. Place slices into iced water immediately. Do the same to the baby fennel, then finally slice the beetroot into thin rings, placing them in a separate bowl of iced water.
3. Make dressing by gently heating garlic cloves in olive oil in a very small pan on medium heat, just until garlic sizzles gently and begins to turn golden. Pour oil and garlic into a small bowl, and use a fork to whisk in the walnut oil, cider vinegar and salt. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, drain all sliced vegetables and dry well on kitchen paper. Add the vegetables to the salad bowl. Break sourdough croutons into two or three pieces and add to bowl. Sprinkle sea salt on top. Rewhisk dressing and pour all over salad. Toss gently and serve immediately in shallow bowls.