Mmmm. Salad. For a long time my family liked to tell people that I would eat only two things: salad and ice cubes. This, of course, was not true. But I do likes me some salad.

On Sunday evening 2.0 and I settled in to enjoy a big pot of chili. We started with a salad that I like to call theme and variation salad.

The salad is composed of the following ingredients: baby spinach, red onion, mushrooms, almond slivers, and pear. Sometimes I include all of these, sometimes I vary. I wouldn’t leave out the spinach, but that’s just me. Sometimes I use a Bartlett pear. Sometimes I use an Asian rear*, and sometimes an Asian pear. Sometimes I use an apple. You’re an adult. Make some decisions for yourself. I bet there’s some other stuff you might like to throw in there.  I decide based on my mood and what I’ve got on hand. Also, if I think someone won’t like a particular ingredient, I double the quantity of that in the salad.

The dressing is more standard. How much variance do you need in a basic vinaigrette? I use about 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a clove of garlic squeezed through the garlic press, 2-3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, and pepper to taste. I usually start with the garlic and Dijon mustard in a glass bowl, put 2 tablespoons of the balsamic in, and then add some of the olive oil – maybe 1/4 cup. I use a mini-whisk to get the party started. If I want more zip, I add more balsamic. If it’s too zippy or a bit too thick, I add more olive oil. Then some pepper. Always pepper. By the the time I’m done, I’ve usually got about 1/2 cup of olive oil in there and 3 tablespoons of balsamic.

2.0 really likes this salad. This, despite the fact that he told me that he doesn’t like spinach.

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*For a time, the wee PLU code stickers on the Asian pears at the grocery store read: Asian Rear instead of Asian Pear. I assume something was lost in translation. Sadly, the error has since been corrected.