The GOOD Lunch: Feldsalat

Today's GOOD Lunch recipe was prepared by Isis Krause. It was passed down from her grandmother to her mother to me—and now to all of you!

"Feldsalat," or Mâche with Avocado and Grapefruit

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The Ingredients:

Dressing Ratio:
As with any dressing, the ratio is the only thing you need to know. You can make as much or as little dressing as you need, just follow the ratio.
• 1 shallot, very finely diced
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablepoons canola oil (must be a light oil, not olive oil)
• Pepper and salt to taste

Salad to serve 12:
• 3 shallots, very finely diced
• 2 tablepoons (6 teaspoons) sugar
• 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 4 large bags mâche, feldsalat, or lamb’s lettuce—all different names for the same lettuce!
• 4 ruby red grapefruits, segmented to remove any white pith

The Method:

• To make the dressing, stir together sugar and vinegar in a medium-sized bowl until the sugar is dissolved. This will take several minutes, but is important to dissolve the sugar before adding in other ingredients.
• Add canola oil, salt, and pepper. Taste the dressing now to check the ratio of sugar/vinegar/oil. If it's too strong, add some more oil; if it doesn't have enough punch, add more vinegar. Just add a teaspoon at a time until the blend tastes just right for you. Same with the sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Add the shallots last and mix the dressing all together.
• Mâche lettuce is very delicate, so it is important to dress the salad at the very last minute, and top with grapefruit and avocado.

The Breakdown:

How did our salad rate in terms of taste, cost, and prep time?

Cost: $20 ($2 per serving)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Taste: 4 stars
Mâche is a deliciously sweet and nutty lettuce with very small leaves. You can find this lettuce all over the country now, but if you can’t get hold of it, you can substitute butter lettuce. This is a really light salad, but the many flavors in the dressing with the creamy avocado and tangy grapefruit make it a very satisfying midday meal. We added a California twist to this traditional German classic with the addition of grapefruit and avocado—feel free to add any fruits or roasted vegetables that are seasonal for you. This salad is great with a hunk of bread on the side.

Every Tuesday and Thursday in 2011, the GOOD team is cooking and sharing a big bowl of healthy, vegetarian, seasonal soup or salad. This time last week we were enjoying Morrocan Roasted Chickpea Quinoa Salad.