Refined Green Salad with Herbs and Vegetables

One of the first foods that impressed me as a 17-year-old was a salad of butter lettuce with finely slivered vegetables and strips of peeled tomatoes. It had an easy look, although obvious care had been taken with the preparation of the vegetables, giving them a jewel like appearance. It was the combination of these two elements—ease and care—that was so appealing. Just last year my editor and I were served the same type of salad in a small French restaurant, and it provided the same pleasu