This salad is nostalgic for me in a lot of ways. Iceberg was the lettuce of choice in my house growing up, and I can remember the bottle of ‘Italian’ dressing poured over it. There is something really good about crunchy lettuce and a bright shallot dressing filled with the flavor of dried oregano. The creamy feta is a perfect counterpoint to this. Sometimes I’ll add some chickpeas or shaved zucchini (courgette) for a more substantial salad.  

　　  

　　I prefer to dress iceberg by pouring the dressing over it as opposed to tossing it together with the dressing in a bowl. This is because iceberg tends to stay in wedges or chunks without the layers separating into leaves. Pouring the dressing on allows you to dress the leaves while retaining their crunchy layers. Always keep your iceberg super cold right up until serving, as this will give you the best crunch – which is, after all, its biggest appeal.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6–8

　　

For the salad:

2 heads iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed

　　1 bunch chives, snipped

　　1⁄2 bunch dill, fronds picked

　　50–70 g (1¾ oz–2½ oz) creamy sheep’s milk feta (Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta works, or even a Danish cow’s milk feta would be good too)

　　

For the dressing:

30 g (1 oz) thinly sliced shallot

　　50 ml (1¾ fl oz) agrodolce-style white-wine vinegar (if you can’t find that, add 2 teaspoons honey to regular white-wine vinegar)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1½ teaspoons dried oregano

　　120 ml (4 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

　　

Step 1

First, make your vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar with a lid, combine the shallot, vinegar and salt. Leave to macerate for about 15 minutes. Next, add the oregano and olive oil and mix or shake to combine.

　　

Step 2

Cut your iceberg into thin, long wedges and arrange on a platter. Shake the dressing up just before pouring it over the lettuce. Sprinkle a bit of salt on top, followed by the chives and dill, then shave slices of cheese over the whole thing, or simply crumble it in. Serve immediately.

　　From Always Add Lemon: Recipes You Want to Cook | Food You Want to Eat © 2020 by Danielle Alvarez, published by Hardie Grant Books November 2020, RRP $35.00 Hardcover.Buy the full book from Hardie Grant Books, Amazon, or Bookshop.