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Salad, Every-Day

In warm weather cold meat sent to table with a good salad, and a little cucumber or pickle, often proves more acceptable than the most expensive joint served hot. To make the salad, wash one or two lettuces, throw away the outer and decayed leaves, and wash the others, handling them as lightly as possible. Drain them, and dry them perfectly, first by shaking them in a colander or salad-basket, and afterwards by shaking them in a napkin held loosely by the four corners. When the napkin has absorbed all the moisture, shred the lettuce--with a silver knife if possible. Rub the salad-bowl three or four times across with a clove of garlic, or with a slice of onion, and put in the shredded lettuce. Mix thoroughly in the salad-spoon a salt-spoonful of salt, half a salt-spoonful of pepper, and a mustard-spoonful of mixed mustard. Sprinkle the seasoning over the salad, and work it well in. Pour upon it as much Lucca oil as will cover it, and work this in; then add a table-spoonful of good vinegar and, if it can be had, a dessert-spoonful of tarragon vinegar. The salad should not be mixed till the moment of serving. If liked, shredded celery, a head of endive, small salad, watercress, sliced beetroot, sliced cucumber, spring radishes, and chopped green onions may be added to the salad. Time, plenty of time must be given for drying the lettuce perfectly, as the success of a salad depends in a great measure upon the lettuce being quite dry Probable cost of moderate-sized salad, 8d.