This is a salad for a small crowd, though it can be made as big or as little as you like. But please, see this ingredients list as a series of suggestions rather than dogma—a chopped salad can contain any combination that appeals to you, including raw vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower or crunchy cabbages like bok choy, as well as nuts, seeds, and fruit.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 servings

　　1 big head of romaine lettuce

　　1 bunch of arugula

　　1 bunch of watercress

　　2 medium cucumbers or 1 English (seedless) cucumber

　　1 bunch of radishes

　　2 yellow or red bell peppers

　　1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia

　　2 carrots

　　2 celery stalks

　　1 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　1/3 cup good-quality vinegar, more or less

　　1 shallot, minced

　　1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Roughly chop the greens and put them in a big bowl.

　　

Step 2

Peel the cucumber, then cut it in half lengthwise; seed if necessary and chop into 1/2-inch dice. Trim the radishes and chop into 1/2-inch dice. Seed and core the peppers and chop into 1/2-inch dice. Peel and mince the onion. Chop the carrots into 1/2-inch dice. Chop the celery into 1/2-inch dice. Toss all the vegetables with the greens.

　　

Step 3

Combine the oil, vinegar, shallot, and mustard and beat with a fork or wire whisk, or emulsify in a blender or with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

　　

Step 4

Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.