Instructions: The secret of a good salad is its dressing. Not only does a dressing add flavor and interest but it also marries its individual ingredients into a harmonious whole. A well dressed salad relies on the imagination instinct and individual flair of the cook as well as the way in which the ingredients are brought together. It is essential that the dressing used is suited to the ingredients it should always enhance them rather than disguise them. For example a piquant dressing will compliment strongly flavored meats game peppery watercress and arugula but chicken fish and more delicate salad leaves require lighter seasoning. Thus a good dressing brings out the flavor of the ingredients it does not overwhelm them. It should be unobtrusive but not bland; flavorful but not overpowering.

Salad dressings are not new culinary inventions a basic mixture of olive oil vinegar or lemon juice and salt has been used since ancient times in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays you can go into any deli or food market and choose from a wide range of dressings but why buy readymade ones when you can mix a superior one yourself in minutes using the finest and freshest ingredients?

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