RECIPE: Cobb Salad

We've been treated to some really glorious weather recently and it's made me think about delicious salads to graze on in the garden on a summer's evening. This is a favourite salad of ours - first discovered on a trip to San Francisco when we stopped for a quick "light" lunch that turned out to be a super-hearty meal, and copied at home many times since.

To be honest, apart from the dressing it is really more of a serving suggestion than a recipe.

You will need some salad greens - ideally Cos or Romaine lettuce because that's nice and crispy, along with any or all of the following

Diced cooked chicken

Sliced boiled eggs

diced avocado

streaky bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

diced tomato

crumbled blue cheese - Roquefort is my favourite to use (you'll need 30g of it for the dressing) 

chopped watercress

parsley and chives, chopped finely and mixed together

For the dressing: 

30g crumbled Roquefort cheese

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

5 tablespoons olive oil

seasoning

First make the dressing - work the cheese to a paste in a small bowl then cream in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Gradually blend in the vinegar and whisk until well blended. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to form a thin dressing. 

Now fill a wide, shallow dish with torn or shredded lettuce. Arrange your chosen salad ingredients over the top, and serve with the dressing on the side so you can take your time over eating it without the salad going limp. 

Serves as many as you have food for, although if more than 4 are eating you may want to make extra dressing.