About 100 years ago in the 1980’s, I watched some British gadabout on PBS doing a really awesome canal trip in France. He was a movie producer of note (no, I can’t remember his name) and made a point of stopping to buy wine like every 1/4 mile. Good for him.    He also ate really well and trotted out his adequate French to buy local ingredients for his staff to cook.  Yeah, he traveled with a staff.  Of course.   Like he was going to cook for sound and camera.   The man had wine to drink! And I consider anyone who can go on a multi week canal trip with a staff, crew and get all expenses paid by someone else on the off chance it will be aired on t.v. a truly brilliant producer.

At one of his stops, he bought lettuce picked straight from the field.  Then it was prepared into a salad the right way.   You put  a small puddle of mild olive oil into a big bowl.  You dash vinegar into it.  You grind pepper on it and dash in salt.  You whisk it and then put the leaves in, coating them lightly.  If you are really fancy, you switch up the vinegar, add dry mustard or red pepper flakes, or some grated cheese, a mashed up garlic clove.  You get the picture.

Anyway, ever since, I have done dressing like this, though often in a mini food processor so I have extra and can use it another day.

Not really sure what a puddle measures out to, but I’d bet it’s under 1/4 cup. A dash is a quick slug.  Beware vinegar bottles without that little dropper thing.  You’ll be dumping out the sour puddle in the sink (the dog won’t eat it) and starting over.