Simple Butter Lettuce Salad with Herb Lemon Green Peppercorn Dressing

It helps if you have the most beautiful heads of lettuce and herbs picked fresh for you that morning by B.D. His herbs are so tender and delicate just like him.

1. Wash and Dry Lettuce.

2. Mince a big shallot and squeeze meyer lemon juice over it. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before proceeding.

3. Chop up dill, mint, parsley and mix into lemon juice.

4. Mince up fresh green peppercorns and add to mixture.

5. If you are not feeding vegetarians, add some Worcestershire sauce and honey to the dressing. Tonight I did not do this.

6. Add salt and pepper and then whisk in olive oil.

7. Toss dressing over lettuce and serve.

Butter Lettuce, Radish, Fennel, Blood Orange Salad

Dressing
Mince Shallot and Combine with about 1.5 Tbl. Red Wine Vinegar
Let sit for about 15 minutes
Mix in 1.5 tsp. of country Dijon mustard
.5 tsp minced fresh green peppercorns
salt and pepper
1/4 cup + very good olive oil mixed in slowly and well

While shallots and vinegar are getting to know wash other, cut root off butter lettuce and wash and dry.

Slice Radishes.

Thinly Slice One Bulb of Fennel.

Using a knife, slice skin off 2 blood oranges to remove all white part. Thinly slice.

Toss Lettuce, radishes, fennel and blood oranges.

Toss with dressing.

(If I had been serving this salad with steak, an avocado might have been nice, but tonight with the potato gratin, the dinner was rich enough).

Butter Leaf Salaf with Fennel and Daikon

Dressing:
Minced Shallot
Red Wine Vinegar
Country Dijon Mustard
Chopped Capers
Salt and Pepper Olive Oil

To Make Dressing:
1. Mix Shallot with less than a tbl. of red wine vinegar. Let Sit for 15 minutes.
2. Add tsp. of mustard, about a tsp. of capers, freshly ground pepper and good sea salt.
3. Slowly wisk in good olive oil, about 3 tbl. or so.

Salad
Thinly Slice 1 bulb of Fennel and 1 Daikon Radish.
Wash and Trim Butter Lettuce.

Toss all the ingredients with the dressing.
(If I had a ripe avocado, I would have added it).

Butter Lettuce Salad with Sauteed Asparagus, Leeks and Smoked Ahi Tuna

1. Wash and Dry Lettuce.

2. Wash and Dry Arugula.

3.Thinly Slice and Wash Leeks.

4. Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and add leeks, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove to a small bowl or plate.

5. Add more olive oil to the pan and add Asparagus to pan and saute until done. (I left these asparagus whole cuz they were short beautiful thick stalks from Nancy Pepper's garden, but you could also cut them into pretty diagonal pieces). About 10 minutes.

6. Tear lettuce into desired pieces and thinly slice arugula (shred). Mix Lettuce, Arugula, and sauteed leeks together and toss salad with lemon and olive oil and salt and pepper.

7. Arrange lettuce on plates. Lie asparagus over the salad and sprinkle arrange slices of smoked ahi tuna on top.