CookEat Recipe
Watercress and Sweet Pepper Salad
Fresh watercress and small squares of mild red sweet pepper tossed with a curry-mustard herb dressing.
Method
Steps
Step 1
For the full dressing batch, wash and thoroughly drain the parsley and chives, then finely chop them and measure one teaspoon chopped parsley and half a teaspoon chopped chives. Peel and finely chop the two medium shallots, crush the quarter of a small garlic clove and finely chop only the rind of one-quarter lemon. Mix these in a cold bowl with the level teaspoon Oriental curry powder, half teaspoon Dijon mustard, one light saltspoon English mustard powder, one light saltspoon cayenne, four teaspoons salt and one light teaspoon ground white pepper.
Step 2
Add the first one tablespoon cool olive oil and mash briskly with a fork until almost a pulp. Gradually mix in the first four tablespoons white wine vinegar.
Step 3
Transfer the whole aromatic mixture to a measuring vessel. Mix additional olive oil and white wine vinegar in the proportion two parts oil to one part vinegar by volume. Add only enough of this mixture to bring everything, including the aromatic mixture, to one quart in all. Mix thoroughly, then press through a strainer into a clean covered jar. Refrigerate promptly at 40°F or colder. Use unused dressing within four days of preparation, or freeze it for longer storage.
Step 4
Use two large bunches of very fresh cultivated watercress sold for eating. Remove the large stalks and any stale leaves, wash the watercress thoroughly and drain very well. Wash four fresh mild red pimiento sweet peppers, remove their stems, seeds and inner ribs, and cut the flesh into small squares. Put the watercress and pepper squares in a salad bowl.
Step 5
Sharply shake the cold strained dressing and measure four ordinary tablespoons of the actual finished dressing. Pour this amount over the prepared salad, mix well and serve promptly. Keep the unused dressing covered in the refrigerator.
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