Salads

Many is the friend who comes to me with an “absolutely delicious” new dressing for salad ... “Just take some brown sugar, some Worcestershire sauce, a little ketchup, olive oil, a dash of lemon ... throw in a chopped clove of garlic or two, and let it sit for three days in a screw-top jar before you use it ... and then you just add anything as you go along.” Like Grandma’s stockpot, I suppose. The recipe is usually labelled Jamaican, Barbadian, or, heaven forbid, Italian.

This keeping of salad dressing ready for use in a jar is something I never could understand. So much better to mix your olive oil freshly with wine vinegar or with a hint of lemon juice. Mill your pepper into it to the exact proportion; add a pinch or two of coarse salt, and then improvise as you will: fresh herbs - chives, parsley, tarragon, basil - garlic, capers, olives, chopped hard-boiled egg. The choice is limitless and the results are always refreshingly different and delicious.